Golden Delicious
by False Advertisement
Summary: [COMPLETED CH 18. CH 19 AN] Evil Stepmothers. Bah. Who needs them? Oh by the way I'm on the run, so don't say anything that might give me away. My name is Annabelle Snow... But I had to change my name just in case. What do you think of the name Snow White
1. One

"Peter, please. Annabelle and I- we just- I don't know! You know we don't get along! Can't you send her to the finishing school in Linalena? It would be much more conventional, and it's quite cheap!"

Desdemona pleaded, as I listened through the crack of the door, speaking to my father. I sighed wistfully. Desi was the perfect evil step- mother.

She hated me with a passion, though I didn't know why. I think it had to do with the fact I was pretty and she was butt ugly. At least, that's what she kept telling her it was a fairy mirror that she had probably stolen from her ex- husband.

As for myself, I had thick, raven black hair that I prided. It reached the middle of my back, and it shone blue under the right light, especially under the moon. My skin was clear, unblemished, and very light. I couldn't tan if I tried. But I had never felt the need to try, anyways.

I was the perfect 5'7 height, and though I had many offers to balls and social gatherings but I had never accepted. I had only eyes for one boy.

We hit it off easily, but before anything romantic could happen between us. His name was Chenate. Chenate Castello. I got to often visit the prince of Tantua.

But when I was eight, Chenate was called for lessons, always spending less and less time with the Duke, Duchess, and their daughter. Me.

My lips, naturally red, were my mother's, and we used to take pictures of ourselves and compare our looks to each other. We looked so similar, that it was shocking. But it was always fun to spend time with her. She was the only one who really understood me, apart from my friends.

But that was before she died of food poisoning, of course. I was twelve at the time.

Both of us were sick, after eating some tainted chocolate. I had only a small piece, but mother had a huge craving for chocolate.  The next day, both of us suffered from stomach- aches and threw up, constantly.

Dad took us to the doctor, who happened to be a fairy, and he gave us a curing tonic for our illness and told us to take them twice a day.

I gained health, but mother did not.

It turned out that she had taken an allergic reaction to the medicine. Although she was taken care of by the best doctors, there was only so much the doctors and nurses could do.

Five days later, mother was dead.

But before she died, my parents called me Snow White, when I was a child. Not only because I fit the description, but also because it was my favorite tale that I would listen to over and over again, every day. It didn't bother the fact our family name was Snow.

I remember her funeral clearly. Only close family and friends of hers were to attend. Father would keep holding my hand as if I were a life vessel. I tried pulling away from him, but it would only make him hold on longer. I stopped fidgeting after my hand started to be cut off from blood circulation.

When the time for the priest to end his long, boring speech came, I was to close her coffin, and lay a lilac on the lid.

After doing so, I started to cry for mother for the first time. I sobbed loudly and in my blindness, I fell. Wiping the tears away, I stood up and ran to the forest. 

Branches caught and scratched at my knees and ankles, and tearing at the black midnight dress I donned.

Oblivious to the physical pain to my legs, I collapsed on the ground, crying hysterically. I could still imagine the sympathetic voices and eyes that turned to me.

I would never see mother again, except in pictures and memories. Too much was expected for a twelve- year old girl. And without a mother… what chance could I possibly stand?

Three years later, my father had met Desi and they started to see each other. Desdemona. Her name suited her perfectly.

She was never beautiful or pretty. She ate like there was no tomorrow, consequently plumping her thighs until each leg was as fat as my torso.  Disgusting? Yes. I wasn't stick thin, either.

I wasn't as thin as a door handle, but I'm not fat, or anything.

I could never know what my father sees in her.

Her personality wasn't any better than her looks, either.

Desi had pasty white skin, and she still had acne, mixing and dotting with chocolate brown moles.

It didn't go well with her mud- brown eyes, and I'm being very modest with you, on her behalf. Her sparse brown hair was magically colored crimson red. It was not a good look for her. A mad fairy, or psychopathic gnome must have colored it.

Did she **try** to look the way she did? But I'm being formidable. It's not nice to talk about a rude, irresponsible, idiot harpy like that!

But I truly yearned for an older woman figure. At the time she and my dad were dating, Desi was very nice to me, and I had immediately accepted her into the family.

Or maybe Desdemona was bitchy to me and I was just blinded by the fact I had no mother. Little did I know that she was the mother to **all** evil step- mothers!

Either way, I was much more beautiful than she, but I never flaunted it. The mad lady was just selfish. She married father for his money and jewels, not out of love.

The marriage was a classy one. Held outside in the rich Aishita gardens, it was a beautiful day. There were over 500 guests invited. The cooks and scullery maids were terribly busy with the catering and the tailors were making loads of money, just for Desi's dress. The dress was beautiful, and it almost made Desi presentable.

Her bouquet consisted of pansies and blue roses, a gift from the pixies that were invited. I was a bridesmaid, but it wasn't anything too special, as there were eight other bridesmaids with much nicer dresses.

Desi only gave me the plainest dress.

The wedding wasn't too eventful. I wasn't invited to the reception. I didn't mind. Father told me there would be nobody else at the wedding that was my age, anyways.

But lately, Des**demon**a had been trying to get rid of me. I hoped my father wouldn't give in. It would be hell if he consented to her idiocy in exchange for his daughter. His seventeen-year-old daughter, to be exact!

I headed back to my room, tiptoeing away. Desdemona was smart, unfortunately. Little did I know what lengths she would go through just to get rid of me.

I thought something along the lines of her moving away to Nedencia, or some other state, far from Tontua, where I could live in peace. 

At first, things started out just as well. After the marriage, Desi started out sweetly enough. But when my father wasn't around, she would become harsh and demanding.

The first sign of hostility I received from her was when I was fifteen, and I had made a cake. It was wonderful, and perfect, something I had tried to achieve for three months.

I had the scullery maid and the cook to help me choose which kind of cake and such, and I gave the rest of the night off to all of the servants.

I made the kitchen table and the surrounding area as perfect as I could. I cleaned the counters, wiped the table of grease, and I even put a few lilacs (mother's favorite. The witch's favorite were pansies) into a vase as a centerpiece. And for an extra touch, I added candles around the flowers.

I presented my cake to my dad and his wife (I could never call her my mom). My father had left to wash his hands before he ate, as I cut a slice from the dessert.

I cut the cake, and served it to Desi. Instead of thanks, she stood up and slapped me hard across the face.

I stood shocked while she snapped at me for a bigger piece. Obliging, I ended up serving her three quarters of the cake before she was satisfied. But even as each piece grew larger, she still shouted at me at how stingy and selfish I was for not giving her a decent amount of cake.

Why my dad took so long to wash his hands remains a mystery. How was I to know that the unjust punishment would go so far?

Another time of harsh unwelcome I received was the day I got back from a four- week journey with my friend Lagera. With smiles, I ran to my father who welcomed me back joyously. But the minx shot me pure venom from her eyes, and I could almost swear on a set of gnome- made silverware that I heard her mumble, "She's here. All hell will be brought back."

She went to hug me, though I knew better. But before I could pull away, she embraced me. In my ear, she sharply whispered, "Watch your back, Annabelle! You will not be treated as royalty in my own home!"

Like a Cinderella, I had to clean the house on my hands and knees, until my father would come back from the courts of Tantua, making peace with the other countries.

She would make me wash the floor, despite the amount of servants we had. The acid water scoured my hands, wounding the already raw wounds on my hands.

Despite my efforts to tell him, Desdemona would just tell him that she had only made me clean my room, and that I had over-exaggerated.

But every royal court gathering, Desi would scold, beat, lash out at me, and on a few occasions, strike me. But I could never prove that she did so, for I never attained bruises, and I was trapped.

But every day that he was home, Desdemona would give him a saccharine smile and purr to him like a kitten.

It made me sick, but I could do nothing, or else regret it. I didn't even have a sibling that I could share with. Thank god she couldn't have children. I would have died if there were little devil- spawns that I would have to take care of. There is SOME justice in this world after all…

I couldn't tell my friends, either, or else something terrible would happen. They would think I was weak. And I couldn't have that. If they found out, I would be forced to attend meetings with the court for justice.

Desdemona would be taken away, and my father would be terribly upset. I couldn't take her away from him, as much as I wanted to.

Through the months, things between Desdemona and I started to get worse. For days on end, the witch wouldn't give me food, except a glass of water to last me a whole day, locked in my room from outside. 

My hope wavered and my patience wore thin. So finally, I devised a plan.

I would have to run away from this horrible woman… And my father, who was oblivious to it all.

Saving up money, and looting two thousand pieces of bronze, silvers and gold from Desi, I snuck out of the house I had grown up in, carrying all the belongings I could carry in a carpetbag and a purse.

It wouldn't be too bad, as I had most of my belongings confiscated by the minx anyways. I packed a picture of mother, many candles, two dresses, and a ball gown dress in case. 

The money went into the purse and I also took mother's wedding ring with me. I didn't have much else. 

The only other items were food, a map and a fairy diary that I wrote in. It never ran out of pages, and it never became ruined. You could also keep pictures in there, whenever you flipped to the particular page! The prince gave it to me for my sixth birthday. I cherished it ever since.

I took to the quest on foot without a trace, except for a farewell note, stained with tears and sealed with a shaky kiss. Desdemona would have been thrilled.

With a last glance to the manor that I loved, I set foot to wherever fate would take me, humming songs I had remembered, and songs that I made up on the spot, in attempts to get the situation out of my mind.

Not only would I be leaving my father, I would also be leaving behind my friends, who have been my constant companions since the beginning of my youth. I choked down a sob, singing the songs louder.

For hours, I would walk by and pass manors, shacks, farms, until I was truly out of Tantua. But I didn't stop there. I followed the road that had now faded into a damp path well traveled. A lush forest, ripe with summer, surrounded it. I breathed in the fresh, dewy scent, and soon became weary from my travels.

Once I became tired, I trekked to a leafy spot in the forest. According to my map, I was very close to the town of Penepia, which meant "Land of Prosperity" in elfish. I hauled my bag to the makeshift mattress of leaves and grass and began to make myself comfortable.

But before I could fall asleep, I wrote a little entry in my fairy- diary.

_Dear diary,_

_It is late in the evening, or early in the morning. I am not sure of the time, because the sun has already set long ago, and not risen. For once, I am glad of Mistress Mariah teaching me languages. Not only in Tantuan, but also in Elfish, Caneptic (the language of pixies), Gnomic, Abdegi (The language of giants), and even Ogrese._

Tickling my nose with the end of my quill, I looked up at the moon that was shining through the dense forest onto my diary. What a beautiful night, I thought.

_It is my first night alone, and I have yet to arrive in Penepia. My only regret is that in all seventeen years of my life, I had not traveled outside of Tantua. Oh how I wish I could live in Frell, Kyrria, and be like CinderElla! I bet a thousand silver coins that her live has been at least slightly easier than mine, with a fairy for a godmother!_

I scoffed. The Cinderella story was actually true. Oh, how I longed to be in her shoes! Glass shoes, included.

_But I keep forgetting that Ella's story was harsh, as mine. Not only did she have a stepmother, who was as evil as Desdemona, but also two step- sisters. I pity her immensely._

Sighing, I thought of the look on Desdemona's face when she reads the letter. I would come back someday, wearing a mask. "Who is this beautiful maiden?" A courtier would say.

And a knight would beg me to take off my mask.

And everyone would plead Desdemona to wear one.

_I wish father would know that I left with the best of intentions. But I know I won't be missed much. But to mask my disappearance, I would have to go by a new name, would I not? I am Annabelle Snow no longer._

I thought of a name that I would be able to get used to. No names could suit me well, I knew.

And then a dawn of an idea struck me.

_I will go by the name; Snow White._

With that last sentence, I put my ink and quill back in my bag, along with my diary. No picture accompanied my entry.

Lying down, I closed my eyes and slept as soundly as I once had, when mother was still alive.

This was the beginning of a new life. Or so I hoped.

~*~*~

So… how is it? Snow White here! *Sigh* Well, this isn't finished yet. So please review!

I OWN EVERYTHING! (Except that little disclaimer down there)

But still, I own everything.

This is set in the same time of Ella Enchanted. Ella had already married.

Disclaimer- I don't own Ella from Ella Enchanted, Abdegi, or Frell, Kyrria from that novel. It belongs to Gail Carson Levine, an amazing author. Check her out!

Love you all!

-A Madi


	2. Two

Ever After- Chapter 2: Lost

That morning I woke up and grinned. Today was the first day in two years that Desdemona hadn't woken me up for filthy chores and it felt wonderful.

Yawning peacefully, I sat up.

For the whole day, I ate small bits of food, skipped, tripped, danced and pranced to my next destination, Penepia.

Joyously, I continued my journey without any complications until I reached where I estimated to be about twenty miles away from Penepia.

"Khabbu lonno aggrey!" A fearful voice called out, with a beautiful rolling of the tongue for the R.

I turned around and tried to make out what the young elf said. I was surprised when I saw a pale- green elf toddler, instead of an expected teen elf.

Elves are the same height and shape of humans, but green in color with pointed ears. They seemed nice enough, I concluded.

I struggled to make out what the elf had said. Oh, if only Desdemona hadn't fired Governess Mariah from teaching me foreign languages!

If khabbu was please, then what did lonno aggrey mean?

"Borna jou yama Annabelle" I replied, telling the little elf my name. It wouldn't be a while, that I would figure out I forgot to say my name was Snow White.

"Me lost! Lonno Aggrey!" The small child wailed, falling to his knees. Brilliantly, I remembered lonno aggrey as a distress signal in Elfish. All elves were taught it as a young age. I at least remembered _that_ much when I was drawing in my study books pretending to take notes from Mistress Mariah. Oops.

The elf child started to cry, and immediately, another elf, about thirteen years old stepped out of the forest onto the path I walked on.

"Khabbu! Please! No hurt my brother! I sorry he make angry. We are lost, lonno aggrey, but please be on you're way. I have money! Just please do not hurt us!" The small elfish girl pleaded, in her broken English.

It took me a while to understand what she said, her beautiful accent fighting its way through the distressed message she gave me.

When I had finally understood what she meant, I chuckled. "No, I can help you back to Penepia. I am on my way there myself." I said, smiling. A small relief took over her face.

"Please come with me, my name is Annabelle, but call me Snow," I caught myself.

"Snow?" The elf asked. "In elfish, that is _Lahina._" Lahina. I liked the sound of that. It was pronounced La- Heena. I smiled once again.

"But what is your _jou_?" I asked her for her name. The girl responded warily at first, but became friendlier as she, her brother and I walked back to her hometown.

"I am Velatine, and my brother is Asdonio."

For miles, Velatine and Asdonio traveled with me peacefully to the 'Land of Prosperity', Penepia.

As we approached, I breathed in and took in the crisp smell of the tiny village. The summer, alive with youth and activity, was slowly making its way to autumn, where I knew that every harvest day held a great celebration for all elves.

As soon as we reached the first step of elfish soil, Velatine and Asdonio ripped themselves out of my grasp and into the village they knew so well. Slightly uncomfortable that I was alone, I wandered around aimlessly.

I admired the painstaking beautiful quality of the gardens and the care that these elves put into their home. Every house was unique, but had the same likeness to it. They were all shaped into shells, but they were different kinds of shells.

I smiled as the beautiful houses glistened and winked out at me, the light bouncing off of the glass- like finish these houses had.

Everywhere, elves were full of life, always doing something.

Not in the least like humans, who sulked around all day eating, like Desi. 

Suddenly, I saw Velatine waving me over, dragging a stressed- looking woman behind her.

"Borna, child." The woman greeted, her accent thicker than the girl's. I could see the dried tearstains and worry lines on her face.

I bowed my head low. "Borna." I curtsied, my accent foreign to hers.

"Latria, ess avens kencho Lahina." She smiled. I smiled back, as Velatine introduced me to her mother and explained that I had guided her back to Penepia.

"Pleased to meet you." I curtsied again.

"You speak in English. Are you from the province of Frell?" She questioned, confusion wavering in and out of her eyes.

"No, I'm from Tantua." I answered, nervously.

"Ah." The mother said, her accent giving her speech a melodious tone. "Welcome to Penepia, enjoy your stay. I am entirely in debt to you, for helping me guide my daughter and son back. Perhaps a meal and bed would help to make it up to you?" The older woman smiled shyly.

I grinned softly, touched by this woman's graciousness. Desi would probably die of all the modest and nice people that lived here, in the forest!

Not that I missed her, anyhow.

For a day, I stayed, meeting new elfish friends. Velatine's _Latria_, mother, held a small feast introducing me to the other elves. I made them laugh constantly, never knowing that I could be funny before.

Or maybe I just never tried.

But many elves knew only little English, and I knew little Elfish, but gestures and facial expressions helped up to understand one another, and I was content. The dinner was many soups and salads, for the Elves were against eating meat.

But then again, I didn't want to tell them I did so.

The soups were such as berry soup, potato and leek soup, pumpkin seed soup, boysenberry and mushroom soup, 'love soup' (which just happened to be made out of an elfish mushroom that made the consumer temporarily infatuated with the first living being you see.

I didn't drink any of that.

The salads were plenty and of perfect quality. For salads, that is. There were pasta salads, berry salads, bean salads, cheese salads, fruit salads, and many more that I couldn't possibly hope to name. There was even a love _salad_!

I didn't eat any of that either.

Contented and filled with delicious soups, I fell asleep on the comfortable vine- cot and swung myself to sleep.

***

I awoke early, but happy, to the sounds of horses. It must be just elves training, I thought.

Changing into a different dress, I headed outside for an early morning walk, remembering to take a quill and my fairy diary with me. I grinned widely as I took in the breath- taking scenery around me.

I could see some trees starting to ripe with autumn colors already. Fall was always my favorite season. The air was chilly and I could see my own breath escape like a cloud from my mouth. I strolled along the path in my drab threadbare dress.

I should leave tomorrow. But today, relaxation, to make up for the lost months, years I spent waiting on my poor excuse for a step- mother.

I sat on a nearby bench, soon after. The sound of horses again delivered me out of my sweet reverie.

"Excuse me, miss," A male voice said. 

Smiling, I looked up and then gasped. It was him.

I stood up quickly and curtsied. As I stood, my diary dropped to the floor.

"Your highness! To what do I owe this pleasure?" I stammered helplessly.

The prince of Tantua looked confused. Gallantly, he jumped off of his horse and bent down to pick up my fallen diary. Just as he was about to hand it to me, he recognized, and stopped, shocked.

"_Annabelle?_"

I stood there, stock-still. What could I possibly say? He had actually remembered me.

"Yes, your majesty?" I stuttered. The prince was very handsome all grown up.

"Call me Chenate, Annabelle. I told you I didn't like titles." He responded, slightly annoyed, but mostly teasing. I can't believe he remembered that! We haven't spoken since age 12! Well, I was 12 at the time, he was 14, and so he would be 19 now.

"Uh huh... Yeppers" I rambled. Oh goodness, I just said 'yeppers' to the prince!

The prince grinned at my astounding vocabulary.

Coming to my senses, I took the diary from him.

"Thank you." I said, not wanting to say any more. "I must go now." I curtsied and walked off as quickly as possible.

"Annabelle? Where are you going? We must talk, for we haven't spoken to each other in four years!"

"Five." I replied, stiffly.

"Well has it been that long, really? I'm dying to have a friend to talk to. Everyone else calls me 'your Highness', it's been bothering me immensely!"

"No. I have to go!" I pleaded.

Chenate seemed like he had been slapped. Then I immediately felt sorry for him, remembering how we had been such good friends. We were each other's soul confidents. I made him laugh often, and he made me patient. Somewhat.

"But your father and lady Desdemona will know you are in good hands! Here, I'll send a pixie to go inform them!" A pixie came out and started to write a message.

I stood rigid. "**No!**" I shouted, for fear of Desi.

"I'll do anything!" I whimpered, "Please!"

Chenate peered at me. "Oh."

"So, what are you doing here, in Penepia?" He asked.

"I'm… on my way to a school in…Attadia."

"But that's all the way across the country!"

"Yes…?" I stuttered maniacally.

"Are you traveling alone?" The prince asked, smiling gently.

I fingered the threads on my dress, unconsciously wiping away soot and stains. 

I didn't even answer the handsome prince; I grabbed my diary and ran. I ran from the secrets and past when I was once happy. I ran from the only man I had ever loved, running, running, running…

~*~*~

Hey, this chapter isn't as long as the first one, but I was stuck. Thanks for all the reviews, I should do review shouts cause I love you all so much!

**A/N: Elfish accent is equivalent to an Italian accent.**


	3. Three

I didn't know why I ran. Remember I told you about how there was only one man I had my eyes on? Well that was him, Prince Chenate.

"Annabelle! Annabelle, come back! I'm sorry for whatever I said! Just please come back…" He cried.

I felt bad for him, just running off like that. I still loved him, but what if he told my father and the witch where I was?

Regardless, I stopped and turned around. Why was I running?

"Annabelle? Why are you looking at me like that?" The prince went from relieved to shocked.

"My name is Snow White…" I answered.

"What? Snow White isn't real…" The prince looked confused. I didn't blame him.

I ran back to him and clasped my hand together. "Look. I ran away from home. Don't tell anyone. Please!" I begged.

Chenate looked very shocked. "Why?" Then he thought better of it. "Where are you going?"

"I- I don't know…" I stammered idiotically. I really had no idea. Wow my plan sure seemed dumb now. Where else would I get food? When will I stop? Where will I stay? Do I have enough money? Uh oh…

Changing the subject, I scratched my neck. "So, what brings you here to Penepia? It's a pretty small town here." I commented.

"Oh, yes. Please pardon my foolish behavior!" The prince bowed and grinned as he mocked himself. I laughed heartily.

"You are excused," I replied snottily, imitating an ogre, pretending to pick my nose and slouching horribly.

The prince chuckled in return. His eyes smiled back at me, and I looked deep into his jade- green eyes. Those eyes…

"Annabelle?" The prince called, bringing me back to the planet.

"Yes?" I squeaked, twirling a piece of my thick black hair with my index finger. I bit my bottom lip slightly.

"How are you doing?" he smiled.

"Let's sit on one of those benches." I motioned to a beautifully carved bench near us. "So, you never answered why you were here in Penepia."  I cocked my head to the side.

"Right. My father wants to give my sister her own small cottage for her birthday, and wanted a house, not unlike the ones here in Penepia. Beautiful here, aren't they?" The prince pointed to a pinkish- lavender finished house in the shape of a grand conch shell.

While he pointed, his arm brushed against mine, and my heart fluttered. It's been long since we last saw each other… too long…

"Yes, they _are_ beautiful." I agreed, nodding my head furiously. "But which sister? Aster, or Ciella?" I asked.

"Ciella. She will be turning fifteen on the 30th of September." The prince sighed.

"Well how old is Aster then?" I asked, confused. Isn't Aster older than Ciella? And I thought Aster was only fourteen.

The prince bit his lip and lowered his head. "She has gone to rest in the heavens now…" The prince mumbled.

I gasped and kneeled. "Oh your highness! I'm so sorry!" My eyes widened in shock. Can you say 'oops'?

"Its okay, I didn't want her to suffer as much as she did. She caught the same sickness as the late Saturnalia Snow. The chocolate…" He trailed off.

The late Saturnalia Snow. Mother. I bit my lip again, very hard. It took much willpower to not cry in front of the prince. I tried to comfort him and myself, by patting him on the back.

Well what else could I do?

The prince brightened slightly. "But Ciella's house is not the only reason I'm here. My father needs an alliance with the country Cavereta. I'm betrothed to Cavereta's princess."

I nearly died on the bench.

"What?"

The prince smiled weakly, his wavy-curly brown hair spilling onto his forehead.

"Yes, I'm to marry the princess Tavetina. My knights and I are due in Cavertera in two months. I can imagine it now. The priest will stumble on my name, and the wedding will fall to a disgrace!" He laughed

Deep inside, I felt like I was dying. I managed a smile. "Your name?" I repeated.

"Yeah. Didn't I tell you what a long name I had? My parents are crazy. My full name is Darren Chenate Costolello Juno Istanium Adan of Tantua."

"Wow."

The prince laughed. "Yes, I know."

"Do you love her?" I asked shyly.

"Well, I haven't met her yet, but I'm sure she'll be as wonderful as everyone makes her out to be." Chenate answered mildly.

"I see…" I gathered, trying to cover up the disappointment. "Well I hope you have fun, I wish you the best!" I covered up brightly.

"I bid you farewell, your highness." I said and curtsied again. I ran from him again, my diary in hand. Turning my back on him, I retreated where I could be alone.

I had to get out of this place.

Soon after I ran off from the prince for the second time, I hastily bid farewell to Velatine's _latria_ and packed my few belongings. The wonderful elves gave me a horse and a fairy mirror gift, like Desdemona's, wrapped in paper.

"Thank you for the horse! You are too gracious!" I curtsied.

"There is no need! We are always and forever in debt to you for returning the governess's children!"

I nearly choked on those last words. Governess's children? Wow.

Regaining my conscience, I asked; "But why the mirror?"

"It is another gift. Miss Velatine asked for you to have it. It would be a great honor if you would accept it." The elf bowed deeply. "You see, Lady Snow, before Elves came to live in Penepia, fairies used to live here. They left behind great treasures that we elves have treated as our own."

Tears began to dab at my eyes. Don't ask me why, I was just probably upset from the whole Darren Chenate Abadoogy Shabadoo thing already. If I weren't so levelheaded, I would have been emotionally scarred.

"Lady Lahina?" The confused little elf asked.

"Oh. Yes. Sorry. Thank you all very much for these gifts!" I must be off now. Thank you…!" I called as I rode out into the distance.

***

_Dear diary;_

_It's been three days since I left Penepia. I should be arriving in the outskirts of Ralene soon. The mirror is beautiful. It is the size of my hand, with my fingers outstretched. The gold frame is rich and wondrously carved by gnomes. I looked into it, just to make sure I looked slightly presentable._

_The next thing I know, the face of my mother is talking to me! Well, I dropped the mirror and screamed. The horse stared at me like I was crazy. You can't blame me, really. As much as I love mother, she's still dead._

_Anyways, I peered over the side of the mirror and mother calmly told me she wasn't really my mother. It's foolish, really._

"Mom?" _I asked._

"No, I'm just an illusion of your mother. You see, to everyone who owns a magic mirror, the soul inside takes the image of someone you love most," _My 'mother' explained. _

"So what do I call you then?" _I questioned. This was so strange…_

"You can call me Cerdames. That's what the fairy who made me named me, anyways." _She replied._

"Oh. Well I'm Annabelle Snow, but please call me Snow White…" _I said, cautiously._

"Oh yes I know all about you running away and all. I'm magic, remember?" _Cerdames smiled. Cerdames… is quite peaceful- looking, but then again, she looks like mother, who looks like me, so I guess I can't say much about that._

"Do you know everything?"

"Yes, my child. I do."

"Then tell me. What is my father doing right now?" _I asked slowly._

"He is gathering a search army to find you. The Duke has gone to King Juno in hopes of gathering as many soldiers as he can to find you." _The mirror said promptly. "_He wants to make sure that you are safe. Especially from ogres."

Legend has it that ogres can charm you as if you were puppets and they were the masters. One look into his eyes, and you believe he is your friend. After a couple sentences, you were in love, and you would forget every flaw.

_If he asked you to kill your family, you would do it, because you were so enchanted by him._

_Which is why the King Juno of Tantua, Chenate's father, is working on killing all ogres._

"Does Desi know that I ran away?"_ I asked dryly._

_"_Yes. She found the note and never told your father about it."

**_THAT BITCH!_**

"Well does she know where I am?"

"Of course. Her mirror told her!" _Cerdames chuckled._

_I cursed in Elfish. Diary, I know that cursing is bad, but it is necessary at times. It was one of those times. _I wrote.

"Thank you Cerdames. I should be going to sleep now." _I sighed, bid Cerdames farewell, and I am getting ready for sleep, in the dark woods, hoping that everything will be good soon._

_Peace, Love and Chicken Guts,_

_Annabelle Snow._

***

I woke up the next day, uncomfortable and stressed. Then I remembered Cerdames. She seemed nice, as mirror souls could be, I guess.

Riding bareback on the pony, I talked to Cerdames.

"So… can mirror souls lie?" I blurted.

"Nope. We can avoid the question, change the subject, but we can't lie."

"Oh." Was all I could manage to say.

***

The horse, Cerdames and I were only five miles outside of the outskirts of Ralene! Though I wasn't exactly thinking of that, I was more focused on the pain in my thighs. Groaning, I pulled the reins for the horse to stop.

Faintly, I heard hooves behind me.

"Owww… my legs!" I whined.

A branch snapped behind me, and I turned around slowly.

Something silver glinted dangerously. A knife?

"Pray quickly and we shall both be done with it. I always _did_ love a quick, clean kill."

~*~*~

Review galore!

Love Alyssa Madison,

Little old lady of 13.5 years old

P.S. MY BIRTHDAY IS ON THE 30TH OF SEPTEMBER (Like Ciella's) SO PLEASE GIVE ME A REVIEW OR TWO FOR MY BIRTHDAY PLEASE  :)

PPS: If you have an account on FictionPress.com, can you please review this story under BrokenIce instead? Thanks a bunch!


	4. Four

I nearly choked when the words sunk in.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"The assassin who is to kill you." The lady answered coolly.

"You're a lady assassin?" I screeched, astonished.

"You sound like you've never heard of them before," She drawled.

"I… haven't…"

"Never mind." My future killer shook her head in pity. She then took a step closer and I got a better look at her. But I took a step back, just incase.

"Who sent you to kill me?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Lady Desdemona Snow." She looked at me blankly, her brown eyes showing no emotion. Jet- black hair, like mine flowed gracefully over her shoulders. Her magenta color lips smirked arrogantly as she stepped closer and closer again.

I hate Desdemona.

"What's your name?" I asked, trying to stall. It worked.

"Terencia," She replied slowly, pronouncing her name like Tear-En-Shee-Ah. "Terencia Loverin."

"Loverin? That's not a common name around here," I cocked my head to the side. "What language is it from?" I smiled gently. _Easy does it…_

"It's… a rare breed of unicorn" Terencia replied. "Why do you want to know?"

I was stuck for a moment. "Well why not?" I covered, lamely.

Terencia shrugged, and her short, elegant frame walked over to her horse and tied its reins to the nearest tree. 

I did the same with my horse, and I laid out my coat to sit on. I motioned for her to sit beside me.

Suspicious of me, she took the seat and I offered her a bowl berries that I hbegun tot eat from..

Thankfully, she took it. I breathed a sigh of relief. She dug in, filling her hunger.

The girl suddenly lunged out and attacked me. Faster and faster, the assassin ceased to stop punching me, as if punching me would only benefit for her, which I'm pretty sure, did.

Terencia and I struggled against each other to fight for our own lives. I tried to be careful and tried not to die, but I didn't want to hurt Terencia too much, because I knew that if assassins didn't kill their target, they would lose their life.

Terencia lunged towards me in a crazed way, tripping on the hems of her dark cloak.

She scratched her nails against my cheek, giving me the beginning of an artfully placed welt.

I gave her one too, across her nose.

She reared her head back in fleeting pain, but then snapped forward again, as fierce as ever.

Gasping, I tried to get away, but Terencia kicked me down again and knocked the wind out of me. Quickly, she whipped out her dagger and pressed it to my throat. I could hear her muttering under her breath.

"The only person who is nice to me, and I have to kill you! Kill you, and you're the, you're…" She became louder with every second.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me, I'm sorry! The only person, the only, you're the only person… who is nice … to me… and I have to kill… I have to…" Terencia broke out in hysterics and collapsed on the ground, sobbing.

I was genuinely surprised.

"Terencia? Terencia… you don't have to kill me! We'll I don't know... we'll find an animal, and we'll cut it's heart out. Okay? And then you can show it to Desi. Come on. You'll be alright." I tried to console her, somewhat awkwardly.

I patted Terencia on the arm reassuringly.

"So, where are you from?" I asked amicably, but scared, changing the subject bluntly. "Not Tantua, are you?"

"Uh, I'm… I'm from Timido." Terencia said, stammering. Oh, so she was from a city of giants?

"Really, wow! So what are you doing all the way in Ralene?" I asked, trying to keep calm. This girl was emotionally unstable. She must have the mood- switching sickness. Or something like that

"Well Lady Desdemona Snow sent me to kill you. She told me you would be here, but why does she want to kill you anyways?" Terencia said, confused. She picked up a blueberry from the abandoned bowl and smudged some berry juice on her well- tanned face. 

"And… well I was banned from Timido because of the assassins. That's why they call me Tantua's deadliest assassin. I work directly for the court. The only person I could not kill… was you." She sighed miserably.

I couldn't say anything to that. But my face must have shown all the confusion and awkwardness plastered onto my face.

"I don't know _why_ it's just, all my life, all I could remember was the orphanage. And since there were so many of us, there was no time for love, or kindness, everything was bleak." Terencia clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.

Even I was a little freaked out by now. Tantua's deadliest assassin couldn't kill _me_? This girl must really have issues, to be an assassin and have emotional breakdowns on the people she's supposed to kill.

"Uh… well Desdemona wanted to kill me, because I uh…" I trailed off, trying to change the subject yet again. I took my eyes off of Terencia and stared down at my faded blue dress, specked with mud and grass stains. I smoothed out a non- existent wrinkle. 

"Yes?" Terencia's interest sparkled up a notch. Her eyes turned from a dark brown to a lighter shade. Or maybe it was just the light. The cloud moved, and though still filtered by the dense foliage, I could now see Terencia properly from the sun's luminosity.

I could see now that she was wearing men's clothes, with light, green, leather slippers and a pair of trousers that looked free to run in.

"Yeah, I think she wants to kill me because I'm prettier than her." I answered truthfully.

The assassin blinked and then wrinkled her nose. "That's stupid," She spat.

I became nervous at her words. "What?" I asked.

"The Lady Desdemona." She said, rather impatiently. "Then again, she _isn't_ the prettiest spring chicken around, no offense."

I laughed. "How is that offensive? I hate that wench!"

"Do you always talk like that about your mother?" Terencia tucked a strand of hair behind her head and plucked a crimson berry from the bowl that I had offered to her earlier.

"She is _not_ my mother!" I growled. Terencia was surprised, and almost choked on the raspberry. Quickly, I scrambled to my carpetbag, and snatched the small, framed portrait of my mother. _(A/N: Thank you for pointing out that they had no cameras in those days, her mother's picture has been changed to the small, framed portrait.)_

I held the picture in her face. "_This_ is my mother." I snapped.

How dare she say that Desdemona was my mother? I thought.

Terencia studied the picture. "You look much alike. Both beautiful." She said, calmly and collectively.

My anger subsided. "I better go to Ralene now. You're…not going to kill me, are you?" I asked. Making sure.

"No… I think I'll find an animal and cut its heart out." She replied nonchalantly. It was then, that I told her of my adventure from Tantua.

I told her of mother and Desdemona, I told her of prince Chenate, his betrothed and Cerdames, while Terencia listened raptly, greedily soaking in every word. Much different from the assassin exterior I had made her out to be, at first.

"Yeah… uh… right then. I wish you the best of luck!" I called, untying and mounting my horse and packing up my food, and retying my cloak.

"Thank you, uh… Annabelle was it?" She asked.

"Yeah. Annabelle Snow. But call me Snow White." I coughed.

"Snow White? But isn't that a fairy tale?"

"Yes." I smiled gently. This girl isn't so bad after all. Maybe, on these lonely days I have finally found a friend.

"Okay. You had better flee from here before Lady Desdemona becomes any the wiser." She accepted and smiled back.

I started to ride away, and she led her shadowy, black horse down the opposite direction of the path.

"JdFfooli!" I bid farewell to her in Abdegi, the language of giants, the native language of the city she grew up in, though she wasn't a giant herself. Well, I tried at least. My awful pronunciation did me no good.

My farewell sounded like: Judeff-ooly.

"JdFfooli!" Laughing, she waved back, smiling at her first real friend.

And we parted ways.

***

Shortly after, I reached Ralene. The scintillating sun was already starting to descend and it was starting to get cold, giving my arms goose bumps all over my pale arms.

I decided it was best to sleep inside, so I wandered around the town of Ralene, trying to find a relatively inexpensive inn.

I finally reached one called Verdanina Inn. The place was nice, and not too grand. It was Perfect.

***

Shivering slightly, I tied the horse's well- used rein to a rotting stake in the wooden fence and stepped inside.

The blast of warm air hit me, colliding into me, filling and spreading me with merry warmth. I sauntered up to the reception desk, spotting a young lady who seemed to be having trouble with her customer's reservations. She was probably only a year or two older than me, which made her about eighteen or nineteen years old.

"Excuse me, uh… miss," I said carefully in English.

The girl looked up from her mountains of papers. "Yes?" She said, irritably. "If you're looking for Darren, he's not here!" Her dark, brown/black eyes tried their best to roll without my noticing.

_Oh, I noticed all right._

"I would like to stay in a room for a weekend…" I said slowly, and confusedly. "Who's Darren?"

The girl's expression suddenly changed from annoyed to humble. "Um… my older brother. He's in the back. He's also always stalked by girls who claim to love him." She laughed dryly and handed me the key to a room, while I passed her three pieces of silver as payment.

"Thanks" I muttered, heading to my room as fast as possible. That girl gave off bad vibes. I found it weird how even though her eyes were black in color, her hair was very blonde.

Her nose was very pointed and straight, and her ears were uncannily small. Her mouth was normal- looking, but seemingly always molded into a conniving smirk.

But I liked the way she talked. She had an elfish accent, and reminded me of the wonderful hospitality in Penepia.

***

I found my room without any problems, and I settled in with ease. The room was simple, but very beautiful.

The walls were painted a faded gold, and there were a couple plants dotting the spacious atmosphere.

There were a couple paintings throughout the bathroom, adjoining living room and the soft, but welcoming bedroom.

The bedroom had three doorways; one that entered into the bathroom, one that entered into the living room, and a small balcony that faced the sunrise, connected to my room through glass doors.

This could be my sanctuary.

~*~*~

A/N: Happy birthday to me…!****


	5. Five

A/N: Wow! Thanks to Faded Soulfire for pointing out a heinously stupid typo I made. When I looked at it I nearly choked. Is something wrong with my spell check? The sentence **'****Suspicious of me, she took the seat and I offered her a bowl berries that I hbegun tot eat from' **Sheesh. It's supposed to be: Suspicious of me, she took the seat and I offered her a bowl OF berries that I HAD BEGUN TO eat from.

After I put away my belongings in the provided chest of drawers, I lay on my bed peacefully looking at the ceiling, until I remembered Cerdames. I scrambled to my carpetbag and took out the mirror, and unfolded the cloth that I had put around it, to protect it.

I took down one of copper framed mirrors in my bedroom and replaced it with Cerdames, who woke up at that moment.

"Morning, lady." Cerdames yawned.

"Whoa. Morning Cerdames." I scratched my nose. "Can you take on a different appearance please?" I felt guilty somehow, as if Cerdames was only a cheap imitation of mother.

Cerdames understood, uncannily. "I… I can lady, but as who?"

I thought for a second. I didn't know.

"I don't know!" I whined. I stomped my foot angrily. It was as if I was a little child again, and my father wouldn't buy me an outrageously expensive toy.

I started rambling on. "How about me? Can you change yourself into myself? What if I'm ugly? Will I-"

"LADY!" Cerdames screeched. Her voice was surprisingly low, which I had never noticed before.

Then I asked a question that I wanted to ask Cerdames since I had checked in. Actually, there were quite a few questions that I wanted answered. I started with a simple question.

"Cerdames, are you a boy, or a girl?" I bit the inside of my cheek trying not to laugh as Cerdames crumpled my mom's face up in confusion, just like Mother would do. I burst into giggles at the memory, but then, I remembered that Cerdames wasn't Mother.

"I'm actually a girl. Satisfying?" She answered sarcastically, pouting.

"Quite! Next question: That strange girl… is she human? She seems slightly… different." I was referring to the girl who supposedly thought I was her brother's stalker. I walked to my bed and sat on it my feet dangling off the edge, then I kicked my legs so forcefully that I flew on the bed on my backside, so that I lay down.

"Her name is Riccia, and she's half elfish. Her older brother Darren is too."

"Half elfish? So she's half human too, right?" I asked dumbly.

"Nope, both Riccia and Darren are half elfish, half fairy blood." Cerdames wrinkled her nose.

"A _fairy?_ A _real- as- corn fairy?"_  I breathed.

"Yes Lady, but I wouldn't go asking them about it if I were you. Things like that can get them into real dangers." Cerdames said, sternly.

"Hey, is Darren related to Chenate? They have the same name…kind of, and that name isn't too common around here." I rubbed my tired eyes.

Cerdames opened her mouth to speak, but just then, we both heard a knock on the other side of my door.

"Excuse me, I'm the maid and I need to turn down your bed for the night."

Grudgingly, I got up from my position on the bed and up to the door. As I looked back to Cerdames, we both nodded and she disappeared, leaving a mirror image of the bedroom in her place.

I was impressed.

I opened the door, to find an older woman with a cart of bed sheets and pillowcases.

"Hello, sweet. My name is Jadriella, and I am your maid for the remainder of your stay," She smiled, welcoming me. I looked at her, and decided that she was nice. I thought her calm and sweet. I could imagine her young, with a handsome beau. Her hair was gray, but you could tell she was once a beautiful blonde maiden. She looked no older than sixty, and she seemed to love her job.

She was shorter and with a plump figure, but I was guessing that she had many grandchildren that she loved to spoil. It was the spark in her eyes that remained young and fancy- free.

After she turned down the huge bed while we made small conversation, she closed the door and then she left with a warm smile.

***

It was then, I remembered Cerdames. Her mirror was still acting like an ordinary mirror, so I called her name to make her come out again.

"Cerdames! Cerdames? Where are you?" I called.

Nothing happened.

I knocked on her frame, and still, nothing happened. I was confused. What was I supposed to do?

Then I rapped swiftly on the glass. No answer.

For the better part of an hour, I tried to get Cerdames to come out from … I didn't even know where she was!

Frustrated, I took her off of the hook and examined the back of the mirror. Nothing. I finally put her back on the hook.

Immediately, Cerdames "woke up" again.

"Lady! Why didn't you wake me up?" Cerdames raised an eyebrow. I had nothing to say to that. I just shrugged.

"Didn't you even _try_?" She pouted. My jaw dropped. It was only halfway down the bottomless pit when I remembered to close my mouth.

"I don't know how! _Grigiah!_" I cursed in elfish.

Cerdames rolled her eyes. "Listen, lady, there are two ways to wake up a fairy mirror. One way takes a quarter of an hour, and the other way takes ten seconds. One way is to take a mirror off of a hook and put her back, or put a cloth or something over the glass. Then you take it off, but it will take a quarter of an hour. I don't know why, I believe it's some fairy rule." She huffed. The other way is to chant 'Mirror mirror on the wall…' even if the mirror is not on a wall. Got that?"

I glared at Cerdames for not telling me earlier.

Then I thought of home and my anger vanished.

"How's Father doing…?" I asked. "Please tell me." I said softly.

"Oh, I can do better than that," Cerdames winked. "Come closer, lady." She beckoned, as I cautiously stepped forwards.

***

Cerdames and the night sky background faded and my father's silhouette became prominent in the mirror. Color became more evident, and the picture was clear. "Father!" I cried. But he didn't move from his position. "Father!" I shouted louder. Cerdame's voice said, "He can't hear you, Sweet."

I pouted, but stayed quiet to watch the scene unravel before me.

Father sat sullenly in the dark quiet study.

It was my favorite room, over fifty feet tall, thirty-five feet wide and with rows and rows of books. Books, some hundreds of years old, lined the walls and not once space off wall was visible. But now, the room was eerie with silence and dark.

My father was facing the flickering fire and watching it intently from his favorite, plush blue chair, a gift from the king. Out from his pocket he took out a pad of paper and a piece of charcoal.

Mesmerized, I watched as he broke his concentrated gaze to look down at his paper. He sketched a well- drawn picture of a face. Details were added, and the hair became longer and darker. When he finished, he sat still unmoving.

I recognized the picture almost immediately.

But I couldn't tell if the picture was Mother or I. I looked closer, without hitting my head on the fairy gift.

Father sighed sadly. I noticed that he looked like a little puppy that had been kicked around too often.

Suddenly, the grand mahogany doors flew open with strong force that the windows rattled. A blond sergeant from the king's third strongest army burst in. I could tell he was from the third strongest army because he wore a forest green mail shirt. The strongest and second strongest armies wear navy blue and brown.

Father stood up suddenly, anxious of any news. The light from the hall let me see father better, and I noticed that his hair stuck up and I could now see silvery hairs near his temples, as if he had lived a long life in little time.

"Sir Peter Snow," the big, surly man began. "Your daughter is dead. Killed by an assassin. I'm sorry for you." He took off his hat and held it behind his back, as father broke down and started to cry.

I bit my lip trying not to scream out and tell him that I was okay.

Then out from behind the door, Desdemona crept in.

She looked from the army soldier to father, and back to the sergeant. I saw a wicked, little grin painted on her face.

"Oh, Dahlin' what's wrong?' She crooned to father, rushing at him into a one- sided hug.

"Annabelle is dead…" He said, dryly. Desi looked up at Father, still hugging him rather tightly.

"So?" She asked, rather stupidly. The fire started to die, and the shadows were getting creepy, especially the shadows around Desi's face. It just made her look more ugly than attractive, which was the look she was going for. Oh, she could be attractive. All she had to do was put a sack over her head. Who was stopping her? Not me.

He just looked at my step- mother disapprovingly, and patted her on the head. After a few minutes, the sergeant left, his hands curled behind him like a puppy's tail.

Desdemona snuggled closer and began to giggle.

_Father didn't even notice!_

~*~*~

Short chapter, I know. I had some small writers block. Please forgive me.

**DiD yOu KnOw?** The name Desdemona was first used in the Shakespearean play _Othello_

Almost nobody puts me in his or her fave authors/fave stories list. Boo hoo ;_;


	6. Six

A/N: I'm so sorry for the lack of updating. I had a major writer's block, so bad it wasn't funny! I couldn't even write an e-mail without writer's block hitting me like the plague. So sorry everyone!

Oh, and if you don't like my story, please note that I didn't ask you to read it. I can't please everyone, but if this is not your cup of tea, then it's not. Oh well.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Snow White story plot, but I own this story. I own nothing of G.C. Levine's, and anything that is noticeably not mine. But I never stole lines out of any story.

Claimer: I own everything but the stuff in the disclaimer. This chapter is not meant to be historically correct.

Short, scribbled chapter, not one of my best…

From now on my chapters will be a little shorter…

~*~*~

The next day, I woke up troubled. I would never return home, even if my life depended on it! I laughed bitterly. I couldn't believe the king's army, not being able to find me, though I was only in the town of Ralene, a mere state away! 

Dragging myself out of bed, I exchanged a quick hello to Cerdames before running out of the door for a walk.

A trunks worth of food and groceries later, I checked my money supply and found I was low on both gold and silver. I needed a job.

I had never had a job before, because we had servants. My only talent was making cakes, fit for even Desdemona, except for the fact that they were too small for her.

So that was how the idea of working at a bakery came to me.

Coming upon the first bakery that I saw, I shyly walked in, and up to the –who I assumed- was the main baker. He was a big, burly man who wore a beret and traditional giant's clothes, consisting of a glittering apron and a ragged doublet. I didn't think he was a giant though. Tall- yes. But he was no giant, because giants were the same width as humans- but twice as tall, though I had never seen a real giant before, not even in illustrations.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if there were any job openings here?" My voice grew smaller with each word.

The man eyed me carefully as if by looks alone was the only way I would qualify for the job.

"Yeh look f'miliar missus." He sniffed gruffly.

"Heh." I laughed nervously, eyeing the place warily. The building was a rumbled old wooden building, looking capable of collapsing if a butterfly landed on it. The floor was littered with cemented-on pastries, sticky with fruit jams, and dusted with grime and flour. The lighting was poor and pitiful, but I said nothing, in hopes of being hired.

"I can make cakes," I piped up. A little too earnestly.

"Yeah, I betcha you can, missus." He drawled. _What _does he need to call me 'missus' for?

"Yes, sir. I can make lure's lemon, angel food cake, ogre lover's pie, fairy meringue, berry sur-"

"Ah, thought so. D'you know my bakery was built during the Calm War?" He interrupted and laughed. I was starting to dislike him. Just a little.

"No." I mumbled. I stared down at my hands uncomfortably. _Why is this strange man telling me this?_

"Ach. Yes, my shop was open every day, even when Ralene came in times of trouble, she did." The large, unattractive man rambled effortlessly.

"Oh." I nodded slowly, and took a step back.

The man grinned evilly. "Come here, missus. Lemme take ah look at yeh!" I turned away, but then he grabbed me by the arm and started to pull me back.

"I'm- I'm fine thanks!" I squeaked. I finally twisted my arm free, and ran out of the shop.

"I'm not a' finished with yew, milady!" The man gruffed, glowering at me. I stopped running and stayed frozen to the spot.

He grinned at me and all of a sudden, I forgot his flaws. He was wonderful. Why was I running?

He advanced towards me. I didn't run, but I didn't step closer either. I cocked my head to the side as I saw how much more handsome he became.

"Stop!" A male voice called, and the spell was broken. The baker was an _ogre_ using enchantments on me!

I looked around to see the voice. I believe the ogre was surprised too, because he immediately let go.

"Get away from her!" The rather attractive young man shouted. I shuddered and hastily stepped back a ways from the two men.

After that, I found myself berating myself for falling into an ugly trick, as the man and the ogre argued. I looked closer at the baker, and despised him instantly. Greasy hair. Dirt-filled nails. Browning teeth, steaming with spit. I hope he marries Desdemona.

They deserve each other.

Teeth chattering as I intensely watched the argument scene, I saw as the baker; push him to the hard- packed dirt. To my relief, all the man did was get up and glare at the ogre, as the haughty baker walked off, without so much as a punch near his face.

The man stumbled towards me quite quickly.

"Um… Are you okay?" We asked in unison. I smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay. You?" He grinned, showing off-white teeth, and blue eyes. Besides the black hair and blue eyes, he looked a lot like…Chenate?

"I'm…Snow…" I grunted my pseudonym, but with hesitation for either I didn't want to lie to him or the name withered on my tongue from disuse. I seemed to think it was the latter.

"I'm Darren" He nodded and toyed with his earring, a new fashion for men. I particularly found it strange and inscrutable, but …t'wasn't my ears. "Not a common name 'ere, are you related to the royal f'mily then?" I looked at him, hiding my well-bred English.

"Aye, me Da's twentieth in line for the throne, the Duke of Fleuras, but he's straightly set on the humility virtue, 'e is. I live and work at the Verdanina Inn" Darren dusted off his well- toned arms. I widened my eyes in surprise. Fleuras was a small, near insignificant province, housing the town of Ralene.

But what surprised me, was that we were both from a family of dukes and duchesses, though his English was ragged and slanged.

"You're Riccia's brother, no?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Aye" he answered.

"Nay! Neither of you look alike, and her accent is elfish, though your accent is English tongue!" I reasoned. I almost added _commoner's English_, but I held my tongue as best as I could.

Darren laughed, not unkindly. " 'A grew up in Lataire, but m' family moved to Penepia when 'A was thirteen, and Riccia was merely eight."

"Oh." I squeaked. 

For a while, Darren and I walked around town, I, nearly forgetting there were other townsfolk around, until we came to the Verdanina Inn, where there was a disheveled man cross the street, crying out at the top of his lungs.

"_The Earth is round! The Earth is round!_" I snorted at his idiocy, and dropped a shilling near his feet, as to hope that he would take the money as a token for him to shut his trap.

Darren walked up to the inn, opening the door and holding his arm out.

"Would the beautiful lady join me?"

"That, I will." I said, in a fake, prissy accent, making him snort with laughter. I took his arm, where he led me to the inner part of the inn, where guests weren't allowed to go.

Riccia poked her head out of a doorway.

"Your lady sent another letter today, Darren. Ask her to stop sending letters. The carrier will not stop asking to court me, and he's forty, at least!" She grumbled, in her elfish accent.

"Witch blood!" He muttered. "I'll talk to 'im when I get the chance" Darren was courting a lady? I was curious already. I wasn't attached to him, but what about the girls who 'stalked' him? Bt then I decided to stay quiet, knowing Darren for only the better part of two hours. I took this as my cue to leave for the night.

"I- I better head up to my room now." I coughed, breaking the scratchy silence, before it settled.

Darren looked at me, confused. "Your room? Are you staying 'ere?"

I smiled and mocked his rough English. "Aye, your highness," I curtsied in my muddy dress, making fun of him for his connection to Tantua's throne.

He mock- smiled, and rolled his eyes, and then snorted. I bid farewell to Darren and Riccia, who waved soberly before turning back to her … whatever it was. Sewing or embroidery, I think it was.

I trounced up to my room and fell asleep dreaming of Chenate.

But it soon turned into a nightmare princess Tavetina, Chenate's new wife, passionately kissed Chenate, and then killed me with my own dagger.

I woke up dying in my sleep. _What a paradox!_ I shook my head from the sleepiness, and faced the borning sunrise. I smiled and chuckled as the man I tossed the coin to the nigh' before, calling out at the top of his lungs again. Why so early was a mystery to me, but I enjoyed his abrupt insanity. He was shouting something different this morn though.

"_The Earth actually revolves around the sun! Our entire solar system revolves around the sun!"_ He looked woebegone, but diligent in his news.

I chuckled again, actually considering that what the man said might be true.

Ha! Right… 


	7. Seven

**OH YEAH! I UPDATED! Well, um… this is your holiday present. Yeah… **

**Happy holidays!**

**~*~*~**

A few days later, I decided to visit Darren again. Creeping down the stairs from my room, I walked into the lobby, where he was writing letters.

"So, are you writing to a special someone?" I came up behind him.

Darren jumped a foot in the air. "Kiaivi!" he swore in elfish. "Usually people don't scare each other first thing in the morn'."

I grinned. "Yes, but you didn't answer my question!" I tried peeking over his shoulder, but he caught me before I could see anything.

"Yes. I. Am. Courting. Someone. Go. Away. Please." He said seriously, but then jokingly laughed. "She's very nice. But aye, some people could call her twisted." He ran a hand through his coal-black hair and played with his earring. Come to think of it, he also had black around his eyes, making him look like he was forbade from the church, or a punk.

I raised an eyebrow. His girlfriend was twisted?

"Yeah. A deranged fairy backfired a spell on her, so that she must be obedient, but half the spell didn't work."

I nodded slowly. I still didn't get it though. How does a spell 'half- work'?

"Yes. So Terencia must be obedient against her own will, but if she eats a certain fruit, the spell can be partially broken." He turned back to his letter. "She's very pretty, though. I'm righ' smitten wi' her, I am."

I gaped. Terencia? Wasn't she…

_"Terencia Loverin?" _I shrieked. Darren looked at me strangely. "You know her?"

By the time he said 'her', I was already on my way, running upstairs.

***

"Mirror, mirror on the wall and all that crap. Hurry up Cerdames!" I ushered.

Cerdames filled the mirror screen, and opened an eye, just the way mother would. I cringed, just thinking about her. Even though it had been almost 5 ½ years, I still wasn't completely over this loss.

"Yes?"

**"MY LIFE IS A FREAKIN' TWISTED FAIRY TALE!"** I screeched.

Cerdames smiled perversely. "Eh." was all she said.

"Why- How… no um… What…augh!" I growled in frustration. Something was wrong with my life! Cerdames nodded and her face disappeared, replaced by a scene. I predicted it would be like when I had watched my father, when the soldiers found that an assassin had killed me.

_Terencia was sitting uncomfortably on a wooden chair, nervously glancing around. She was in my house, but I realized it was within the corridors I was banned from, since mother's death. The corridors Desdemona had shielded me from. At Desi's lounge, the light from the rusted chandelier flickered in a sinister manner, casting weary shadows over both women's faces. I looked closer at the mirror and saw that Terencia was bound to the chair by her wrists, by a thick, brown rope. Desi spoke in hasty, thick whispers._

_"Look. I know you have a curse on you. So I order you to kill this girl." She pointed at a small, old portrait of my mother when she was probably two or three years my senior, but in the poor lighting, it looked just like me._

_Terencia squinted her eyes. "Who is she?" From this, I gathered that this meeting was before I had met Terencia._

_"My…Step-daughter. After you kill her, prove to me that you killed her. Just a bit of her hair, or her blood would do the trick. Maybe her heart."_

_Terencia bit her lip and leaned back, probably to get away from Desi as much as possible. "No…your Gracious, please don't make me to this…"_

_Desi growled and abruptly stood up, her leg fat pushing her chair away as she rose. "I said I order you to do it!" She snarled. "And you know you can't do anything about it."_

_Terencia bit her lip harder and shook her head. Desdemona rolled her eyes. "Better yet, before you kill her, make friends with her. Spill your pathetic life story. I order you to." She smiled and laughed. "Lets try this, shall we?"_

_By now, Terencia had almost started to cry, had her pride not been strong. "Terencia!" Desi cried, as she unbound her wrists. "Dance for me"_

_And sure enough, Terencia started to move. At first, she tried to resist, but her face twisted in pain and so she twirled, although ungraciously. After a few moments, Desdemona became bored. "Be off, peasant. And kill her within five days, she ought to be at Ralene, if she were fast enough to run…"_

The setting in the mirror changed, and I was brought back to when I was talking to Darren just a quarter of an hour ago.

_"Yeah. A deranged fairy backfired a spell on her, so that she must be obedient, but half the spell didn't work."_

_I nodded slowly. I still didn't get it though. How does a spell 'half- work'?_

_"Yes. So Terencia must be obedient against her own will, but if she eats a certain fruit, the spell can be partially broken." He turned back to his letter…_

I looked confusedly at the mirror, yet again twisting it's scene. I recognized it as the path in which I met Terencia in the fight for my life.

_"What's your name?" I asked, trying to stall. It worked._

_"Terencia," She replied slowly, pronouncing her name like Tear-En-Shee-Ah. "Terencia Loverin."_

"Loverin? That's not a common name around here," I cocked my head to the side. "What language is it from?" I smiled gently. Easy does it…

_"It's… a rare breed of unicorn" Terencia replied. "Why do you want to know?"_

_I was stuck for a moment. "Well why not?" I covered, lamely._

_Terencia shrugged, and her short, elegant frame walked over to her horse and tied its reins to the nearest tree. _

_I did the same with my horse, and I laid out my coat to sit on. I motioned for her to sit beside me._

_Suspicious of me, she took the seat and I offered her a bowl berries that I had begun to eat from…_

_Thankfully, she took it. I breathed a sigh of relief. She dug in, filling her hunger._

I bit the inside of my cheek, realizing that she hadn't eaten from the bowl because she was hungry, but because she was trying to rid of her curse before she would be forced to kill me. Raspberries must have been the fruit Darren was talking about. Though... I guess it hadn't worked too well before she started to attack me.

At least she didn't kill me, due to the raspberries.

I scuttled backwards and collapsed onto my bead, as Cerdames appeared in the mirror again.

"Well, sweet, now you know, I guess." She looked to the bedpost, she looked to the door, she looked to the balcony, everywhere but me.

"Cerdames- it's fine. Uh… please change your image though. I'm still wary of you looking as my mother would if she was alive. How about masquerade mask?" I tried to reassure her in a strangled voice. And then I had the stupid feeling that I wanted to cry. I didn't even know why. But fortunately, I didn't. But Cerdames obliged and turned herself into a pretty mask, ivory white and lined with midnight blue beads.

To get used to her new image, all I did for the next two hours was talk to Cerdames about nothing, and then she asked me about…

"So how are you and Chenate?" I froze at his name. 

"Look Cerdames, I'm probably never going to see him again. He's practically married already, and let's just please drop it, okay?"

"Do you want to see him right now? I can show you…" She volunteered.

I hesitated. I could fall in love just seeing him again… "Okay"

Cerdames' image blurred, replaced by a beautiful palace, decorated with gold, and Chenate was in the midst of it all. He was handsome, terrific, and next to whom I could only guess was the Princess Tavetina.

Oh, I was jealous. I was pleased to see that he looked extremely bored and tried to keep a straight face. That or he probably wanted to spit all over her face. I did, at least. The Princess had long, wavy blonde hair and very blue eyes. She was adorned in too many jewels, giving her a gaudy look. She sat lazily on a luxurious bed and looked at Chenate like he was _lucky _to be with_ her_, when it was the other way around. She held a book up and I looked closer at the title, just to see if she were an intellect.

The book she held titled itself "_Lerning the alfabete by prinsess Tavetina_". She didn't know how to spell anything, and here she was, writing her own book!

Oh poar prinsess!__

_"Chenny, darling, please peel this grape for me" The Princess drawled in a disgustingly high- pitched voice. Chenate rolled his eyes and sucked in his breath sharply while he reached over to peel the grape that his air-headed betrothed should have choked on._

_After carefully peeling the miniscule grape, he handed it to the Princess, who dropped it onto the spotless floor._

_"Five second rule!" Chenate snatched the grape off of the floor and held it to Tavetina's face, knowing it would disgust her, but also saving himself from peeling another grape._

_"Ewwww, you are absolutely unsanitary!" The bitch whined. "Peel another one for me!" she demanded._

_"No" He stated firmly. Both the blonde, beautiful yet idiot princess and I (the black haired, smart AND pretty girl) fell off of our seats in what Chenate had just said._

_"Excuse me?" Tavetina asked._

"Yeah! What did you say?" I murmured out loud to nobody in particular.

_"No. I'm very sick and tired of you bossing me around. I'm not a servant, Tavetina. Goodbye!" And with that, he turned around and left_. That was probably the rudest thing he had ever done. But it didn't matter, because _HE DIDN'T LOVE HER. YES!_

Cerdames returned to her mirror and blinked, expecting my comment. I grinned at her and blew a kiss at her.

"Thank you Cerdames, thank you so much!" I ran out of my room and locked the door, rushing out in happiness. He was still betrothed, but he didn't love her. I was going to leave, going to the country Cavereta. Maybe I'd still have a chance with Chenate. Just one more kiss until he gets married?

I bounded down the stairs and into the private part of the first floor; to tell Darren I was leaving.

"Hey! I'm going to Caver-" I stopped mid-sentence, to find Terencia and Darren kissing.

Kissing a lot.

I covered my eyes with my arm. "Ah! Sorry guys!"

"Kiaivi!" Darren swore in elfish again. But then he started to laugh hysterically. At least that's what it sounded like.

"Um… Snow? Is that you?" Terencia called.

"Yes, and I'll be leaving now!" I replied, and walking out backwards through the door, my arm still over my face.

"Now where were we…?" I heard Darren say to Terencia. A lot more kissing noises continued.

Well at least they're in love, I had to give them that much.


	8. Eight

Hm. Well I didn't get as many reviews, as I would have liked for that chapter, but oh well. Can't complain.

50th reviewer gets a cameo!

***

Three days later, I found myself checking out of the Verdanina Inn. Making sure Cerdames' mirror didn't break; I left and went back to the almost-forgotten pony that the elves in Penepia had given me. Thank goodness for the horse keepers of the Inn. I found the pony being groomed in a stall by the back of the Inn and left.

That's right, I left. Just packed my bags and went, no weeping farewells, no funky memorabilia to mark my coming and going, no stops on the way or frantically trying to run back before some huge chance nearly explodes in front of my eyes (not that there _was_ chance, anyways). Just leaving without any emotional drawl.

And that felt good. As much as leaving can feel good. It was then, that I realized how uncomfortable my horse was and that wearing a dress while riding has impact on your butt.

"Oh, hell" I groaned, mentally chastising myself for not practicing to ride. But I kept riding, no matter how much it hurt on my rear end.

What's coming next may disturb some readers. Parental Advisory Content may be suited for your child:

I saw a giant. And it honked at me.

Okay, don't laugh, but I had forgot that the town of Ralene was a giant's town. And it scared me. It/he had a scraggly brown beard (which lead me to believe it/he was, well, a he) and a club in his hand, made out of wood. A _club_. A very **large** club. Why? Why _me?_ If I were a good, smart person I would have asked, why after staying in Ralene for over a week, I had not seen any giants.

And then if I had done that, I would have gotten the answer that the giants live on the east side of Ralene. 

Which was where I was now.

So looking up at that giant in terror, the giant honking at me, the pony rearing up, my belongings sliding off of the horse, my butt _killing_ me, and I was almost ready to give it all up and go back home to Desi.

That giant scared the bejesus out of me. And I'm not using that term lightly.

I mean:

1. That thing/man was tall. At least 12 feet tall.

2. Honking and squeaking are how giants talk.

3. I had never seen a real giant before. And for some weird reason, I noticed that it wasn't at all fat or anything. Its/his width was just slightly more than mine, I think.

First thing to do that came to my mind was scream. So I did. And then I pulled the reins of the horse and the pony went _fast_. The only word I could find for how fast we went is _scram_.

There is no such word as scram though. I must be picking up on Darren's "English". The unorthodox son of a lord.

Unfortunately, the pony wouldn't stop riding so fast, so I had to cling on to the bridle with the strings of my life. And within a record-breaking day, we were already almost halfway to Cavereta. When we finally slowed to a stop, I got off of my horse, a painful experience. But in the process, something slipped out of my carpetbag and onto the floor.

I bent down to pick it up, exercising my already sore legs, and saw it was the fairy diary that Chenate had given me long ago. I nearly forgot about it during my stay in Ralene!

I flipped it open to the first page. There was only my name, written in fine ink. It was long past nightfall already, but for some reason, I could see my diary and it's contents perfectly. I sat down by a majestic oak tree and nestled in the crook of two roots. The horse, being extremely tired, lay down and slept, too tired to even sleep standing up.

A picture caught my eye. It was almost like a portrait, but it was much finer, like a scene that was frozen in time and cut out. Don't laugh. I'm sure they'll invent something like that in the future.

The picture was of Chenate and I, as children. I was a mere six years old, and he was eight. We were facing each other, but neither of us was facing the front. I had my head cocked to the side while he gave me a carefully wrapped package, which was without a doubt, the diary. Beside the picture was a neat scrawl, definitely not my writing when I was younger. It simply read, "To Annabelle, from Chenate."

I smiled softly as I looked at the picture, and back to the writing. I memory came to me head on like a stampeding rush.

_"Here, Annie-Belle, Happy sixth birthday." He shoved the scarlet and yellow wrapped present into my hands ungracefully._

_I tore the package like a beast would maul its dinner. Inside was said diary, and I looked at it in wonder. The diary itself was a bloody scarlet, adorned with a few jewels the color of the ocean._

_"It's…a book for you Annie-Belle," He said, uncertain of my reaction. "Except you can write our own stories about being a princess."_

_"Thank you" I smiled, but that turned into a frown. "Are you saying I'll never be a princess?" I teased._

_Chenate's eyes widened. "No, I'm just saying for right now, Annie-Belle"_

_"Well how do I become a princess? I'm just a lord's daughter right now, whatever that is. But I know that means I'm not a princess." I ventured._

_"Well, you could marry a prince, I think." He nodded._

_"Well, you're a prince, could I marry you?" I asked innocently. "Wait. What does 'marry' mean? Isn't that your mom's name?"_

_He shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I think it's when two really good friends just start living together or fall in love or something." He finished._

_"Well, if I just fell in love with you then I could be a princess, right?" I wiped my nose on my sleeve._

_"Yup. Let's do that when we're older, 'kay?" He asked me, just glad that I liked the present._

_"Promise?" I gave him my best puppy-dog eyes._

_"Yes Annie-Belle. I'll ask mommy or Nurse Sarah to help me make you a crown. We'll make them matching" He laughed and nodded._

_"Oh thank you Chenate!" I gave him a hug._

_"I love you, Annabelle," He said, solemnly. I stood, slightly shocked that he said my name properly, but didn't think much of it._

_"Huh?" I asked, ungracefully._

_"Just practicing for when we are older." Chenate pointed out._

_"Okay. Uh… you're it!" I tagged him across the shoulder and bolted away, knowing he'd chase me._

_And through the palace, we tore, just having fun._

I laughed quietly, closing the diary, and I fell asleep instantly, still sitting by the tree.


	9. Nine

So sorry about the lack of update. Major writers block.

Special thanks to: **Olenochka, Inu-Angel Z, jelie36, dorkeegirl186, Karli, sandalwoods, cahkoh, Evo422, MapleRose, bookworm-00, bookwormsrok, mygerbil, MaidenLily, Chibified, CoolBreeze, Susannah's Secret, singinstrawberry, xxSwt_Azn_Angl3xx, just a fan, maddelei and wackoramaco87.**

**Wackoramaco87: What's the difference between the story here and the one on FictionPress.net?**

**Alyssa Madison: None, except that I'm stronger on that account and go on it much more often than fanfiction.com You are also more likely to get a review reply back if you review that story.**

Oh yeah. 50th reviewer gets a cameo.

*******

Desdemona stared at the crusted and bloody heart in her hand. She closed her eyes and shuddered in disgust before dropping it on the polished brown table, where clotted, maroon blood crumbled out of one of the main veins of the blackening heart. The putrid scent of the decomposing organ had infested her paling hand and she massaged the sticky muck of thick blood and crust from her hand onto the apron of her filthy dress.

_It had been a fortnight since the peasant girl had been ordered to kill Annabelle, her heart to bring back as proof. Desdemona had sorely regretted asking for the heart now, but she couldn't throw it away for reasons, reasons that even she herself didn't understand, nor was brave enough to decipher._

_The dining room was dark and cold, only lighted by a candle or two, but it was big with a high ceiling, creating an eerie effect, the only moonlight shining on a tarnished suit of armor. The servants had been dismissed for the night, so Desdemona alone was left with the heart._

_Standing up from the uncomfortable wooden chair, Desdemona got up to retire to her chambers for the evening. Swiping inexistent sweat from her brow with a monogrammed kerchief, she turned abruptly to the corridors leading to her room. Slipping on her own feet, she brought her hand upon the table to steady herself, but was horrified to learn that she had brought her hand down on the rotting heart, but was terrified more so to find that in the crushing of the organ, it squished down easily, and a crackly snap was heard. Mush oozed out of the flattened arteries and veins onto the table._

_Desdemona screamed, and hastened towards her chamber without a second glance at the table. She picked up her skirts and fled up the stairs, the stone seeming to leer uncomfortably at her, so she didn't stop until she had reached the door of her room._

_Gasping for breath, she pulled the heavy oak door and slammed it shut once she was in. The spacious room was alight with candles. But Desdemona hadn't been in the room for hours. How odd. Must have been one of the servants._

_She whirled around and called out. "Mirror, mirror on the wall!" She hastily wiped her hand on her dress apron again, as a haze filled the mirror and an emotionless white mask appeared._

_Desdemona only wanted company tonight, but she asked the mirror something that she hadn't since she was a mere girl, when she had stumbled on a magical mirror as a child._

_"Who is the fairest of them all?"_

_The mask furrowed its brow line in thought, but then pursed it's lips together. "The lady Annabelle Snow" He answered in a deep voice._

_The name shook Desdemona and she started to breathe heavily. "Does thy not mean the _Late_ Lady Annabelle Snow?" She inquired._

_The mask shook his head slowly. "The Lady is still alive and healthy, Milady." _

_Desdemona gasped and shuddered, looking down at her blood- stained apron and back to the mirror. "Then whose life has been spilled upon my conscience?" She cried, her voice in a panicked whisper._

_The mask gave Desdemona a pale, haughty smile. "The blood upon your hands is the blood of a deer, milady."_

_Desdemona sucked in her cheeks and looked from the mirror, to her hands, folded neatly on the soiled apron and back to the mirror again._

_"Where is she?" She murmured._

_The cream- colored mask looked back at her. "Annabelle is in Ralene, but she will leave in two days."_

_"Mirror, how doth thy know?" Desdemona pursed her lips together and frowned at the fat on herself that she just noticed. How did the beggars and cheap rogues stay thin? She wondered._

_The mask laughed, a deep throaty laugh. "Do you not remember, my lady, I doth know everything."_

_Desdemona opened her mouth in protest, but decided otherwise. "Very well then. Where is that peasant girl that I had ordered to kill Annabelle? Why did she bring me back the heart of an animal?"_

_The mask paused for a minute, and then simply replied, "The spell was broken"_

_Desdemona rolled her eyes. "Then she must be killed."_

_Though he knew, the mask asked to clarify. "Killed? Annabelle or the peasant girl, Terencia?"_

_"Both."_

_The mask shifted uncomfortably. "My lady, you should be happy for that Annabelle is gone from you!" He tried._

_"Be silent." Desdemona snapped. "By the next full moon, Annabelle will be dead, and I will be more beautiful."_

_The mask made a face. Luckily, Desdemona had not looked, as she took a dagger from a cupboard close to her bed and started to play with it. She glided her index finger along the blade, but pressed too hard. A drop of her blood landed on her apron, adding more red to the once white cloth._

_Desdemona bit her lip in pain but stayed silenced. Then she looked up back to the mirror. "By the next full moon, Dreynagus."_

Dreynagus closed his eyes, safe within his mirror confinements and nodded. "Yes, milady."

***

Ah what a filler. So now you know, Desi has a mirror named Dreynagus, who has a male soul. Uh… I know it's short. V. V. sorry.

Love, A. Madison


	10. Ten

I FINALLY UPDATED!!!

Oh my goodness. I am so sorry. I know this is a short chapter as well but I have been so busy! I guess you can all berate me in a review (or two) but please, go on and read now-

~*~*~

After that little escapade with the giant, I had a much better week: I met Misha.

When I woke up from my sleep, I was still nestled in the roots of the tree, and the pony from the elves was picking at the moss nearby. Because it was dark, I thought it was still night, though it turned out that it hardly any light was shining through the dense foliage. I noticed that my cloak was strangely torn around the neck, but I didn't care much.

Swiping any saliva from my mouth, I got up to find a sore back from the awkward tree roots that jutted out like ogre teeth. Well, it _did_ seem comfortable at the time.

Stretching my sore back, I yawned heavily and sniffed. Smoke. I panicked and ran to the pony. I was _not_ going to die in the middle of the burning forest! I was too short to hop onto the horse, though I was 5'7. Inconveniently, I realized that I would have to bring the pony to a rock, climb up the rock and then get on the horse. (How sad).

"Ow, ow ow oh owwwww" I whined, as the pony started to trot. I jerked the reins to whichever way I thought the fire would NOT be. Obediently, the pony followed my directions. It was all fine, until I _saw_ the _smoke_!

"NO! NO! PONY! TURN! FIRE! FIRE IS DANGEROUS!" I screamed. The horse just…kept…going…and going… and going…

I started hyperventilating. I wasn't one to ever like wild fires. In case you haven't noticed. Heh…

Well I don't know for how long, but as I was hyperventilating, I smelled food. Oh, glorious food! I could practically hear the music and the light parting through! Ooh, I was hungry, and I only had half of a loaf of bread left.

The pony, also smelling food, trotted closer and closer to the smoke. The essence of roasting meat was already floating through the air and onto my tongue. The pony turned right again, and we were greeted by a dark clearing, with only a medium sized fire in the middle.

A thin figure with a dark cloak hunched over the fire, with a slab of meat, roasting over the fire, strung upon a branch over the ghastly flames. I was too far away to feel any of the heat, making the darkness seem colder.

My stomach growled, but not loudly, luckily as I wished to not make any noises. I was going to leave, honestly. But there was a strange and _wonderful_ smell! It wasn't meat; it smelled like pear, but also like potato. Oh, what_ever_ it was, it smelled absolutely _wonderful! _

The figure clad in black suddenly turned around to face me. "You! Who are you? Who sent you?"

"AHHH!" I screamed, my eyes widening. "AHHHH!" As you can see, I was too scared to come up with a witty answer.

The Thing stood up from It's crouching position. And slowly, walked towards me. It was a graceful thing, light steps. I kept screaming, "AHHHHH". But in all that confusion, I realized that It was a woman! No creature of that petit built could walk that way. I mean, she was tall, but I recognized the walking pattern. _Tap, tap, tap, patter, tap, tap, tap, patter_. Not was this also a woman, a noble of some sort!

I finally stopped screaming. By that time, the woman came up to me and unveiled herself. She had dark eyes and dark hair, but it may have been the darkness of the forest around us, or the fire.

"Who are you?" She repeated. I didn't answer right away. I was still observing her. She was extremely pretty. She wasn't moonlight pale, but ivory- colored. And her mouth was a delicate small, though it seemed that she would have your throat in a second if you said the wrong thing.

"I- I…uh, I'm Snow." I finally answered, remembering my alias. She quickly cut in though, before I got anywhere else in my thoughts.

"Snow isn't a name, princess." She whispered as she yanked me off the pony (who I had forgotten was there) and held something sharp and cold to my neck. 

"Annabelle Snow!" I screeched. Boy, this lady was creepy. Suddenly, she let go of me.

"Snow!" She gasped. "Of Tantua!"

How. Did. She. Know.

"Who are you?" I said in a fast whisper. The girl looked younger than me, but much wiser. She bit her lip and shifted her brown eyes, contemplating whether to tell me who she really was.

"My name is… Asterline Misha" She said, slowly. I knew she wasn't going to tell me anything else, so I let the subject drop. Just then my stomach growled like a sea in tempest storm. I blushed a little, but I hoped she didn't notice.

She did.

"Are you hungry perhaps? I have some food here" Asterline Misha waited for me not to answer, though led me to the food near the fire. As she waited for the meat to prepare, she skewered a lump of pale golden paraphernalia roasting at the fire. "Apples," She grinned. It was the potato-pear looking object, I realized. And it smelled so, so good.

"What did you _put_ in these apples?" I breathed, letting it cool before I took a bite. 

"Cinnamon. I always roast apples. That's the best way to eat them, for more reasons than one…" She trailed.

At that moment, Pony (As I've decided to call him) trotted over and snatched the apple out of my hand with his mouth before I got a chance to eat it. I cursed, but laughed when Pony dropped the apple because it was still too hot to eat. Grunting, Pony turned away, his black tail swishing away to a nearby rock. Embarrassed, I didn't ask for another apple.

"Annabelle, would you like another apple?" Asterline Misha asked me. Politely refusing, I sat down near the warm fire, but sitting too tightly on my skirt so that my cloak ripped even _more_ down to my shoulder.

Asterline Misha scuttled over to me. "Cover that up." She said.

I squinted at her in confusion. "What?"

She pointed at the cloak, showing my alabaster skin and collarbone. "Fix it"

I shrugged. "I don't have anything to fix it with. It's not that bad, don't worry about it."

Asterline Misha stared at me, breathing heavily. "_I'll_ fix it then. I can make thread out of bark strands. I've been out here since I was ten years old. Here, give me your cloak."

"In sooth?" I asked, incredulous as I unfastened my cloak and gave it to her. Asterline Misha nodded. "I faked my death and ran away. Best thing I could ever have done. But I miss my brother and sister."

"Well how long have you been gone from home?"

"Five and a half years. I guess I'm sixteen now. How old are you?"

"Seventeen now. Almost past marrying age, but my beloved is betrothed already." I answered gloomily.

"Oh." She breathed. "Are you sure you don't want another apple? They're delicious. I'll take a bite of one to prove it to you!" And so she did. And handed me the rest.

"Actually, you know it's okay. You should eat it." I handed it back. 

"Are you sure?" She raised a perfect eyebrow. I nodded in response. "So, where are you going, anyways?" She changed the subject.

I looked up at the darkness above. "I'm stopping first in Havyne and then I think I'm going to Cavereta." I sighed. Asterline Misha shifted and cut the roast. She handed some to me. It was juicy and tender and all of the wonderful things I missed from home, before mother died. Unfortunately, the roast was smaller than I thought and was devoured in a matter of minutes.

Asterline Misha nodded to me. "Can I go with you to Havyne and Cavereta?" She ventured.

I thought about it. I didn't really want her to come with me, but if she could survive here for a long time, she would be an incredible asset to me.

"Okay."

"Good."

***

Asterline Misha packed up quickly and I did the same. It was a silent journey, for the most part. Havyne actually turned out to be a shorter distance than I thought it was and we were already a quarter of the way there by the time three hours had passed. Asterline Misha and I took shifts riding on Pony.

"So… Asterline Misha, is it okay if I call you just Aster?" I asked, looking down at the tall figure gliding beside me.

Asterline Misha clenched her teeth. "Okay."

***

It was well past dusk by the time we arrived in Havyne, and it was Aster who spotted the cottage first.

"Pssst. Annabelle. There's a cottage there. It looks empty. Let's stay there for the night"

I looked to the far left, where she pointed. The little shack looked as if nobody had lived in it for years. Two of the three windows were broken, one of them, which was clumsily boarded up.

The bricks of the house looked steady and strong, but were a dull gray. I probably would have missed it were it not for Aster to point it out for me.

"Can we set up camp there?" I asked.

"I think so. It seems friendly enough." Aster shrugged. And it was true. Even though the house was dull and unkempt, it took on a friendly, almost cute appearance.

Aster, Pony and I trudged up the rocky path to the cottage. When I turned the tarnished brass handle, the door swung open easily. "We're going to fix that lock tomorrow morning." Aster said from behind me. I turned back to face her. "Do you know how? Because I don't."

"Yes. Just go in already!"

Obliging, I took a step in and stopped immediately. On a small table directly a few feet from the table, was a grubby, but lighted candle. And next to that was a girl, who looked extremely scared of the intruders. Us.

"Who…are you?" She shook, trying to keep a dignified appearance.

"My name is Snow, and this is Aster." I replied calmly. "We were just need a place to stay."

Without warning, the little girl dashed off to the small kitchen at the right. (At least I think it was a kitchen, there was a few pots on the corner of a counter that I could barely see, past the doorway of that room) From the kitchen, emerged a pretty young woman, who looked to be fifteen years old. It seemed everyone I met was handsome or beautiful! Except for Desdemona of course. She held the hand of the little girl from the table.

"Okay," The older girl said slowly. "You can stay here. But don't harm any of my brothers and sisters."

Both Aster and I nodded in agreement. The younger girl quickly let go of her sister's hand.

"Jessica! What are you doing? If mommy were here she'd never!"

Jessica looked down. "Trinity. You know mommy is gone!" Trinity sniffed unpleasantly. Without another word, she trudged off, presumably, to bed.

Jessica looked at the both of us apologetically and quietly showed us to our beds. After Aster and I became settled, Jessica let Pony into the backyard.

I could hear Aster and Jessica in the next room, talking. They looked close in age, so I wasn't worried about them. As I fell asleep, I had a crazy half-dream that unsettled me. Little flashbacks rushed at me, falling into place. 

***

"Snow isn't a name, princess." She whispered. 

_"I faked my death and ran away. Best thing I could ever have done. But I miss my brother and sister."_

"_So… Asterline Misha, is it okay if I call you just Aster?" I asked, looking down at the tall figure gliding beside me._

_Asterline Misha clenched her teeth. "Okay."_

_"Well how old is Aster then?" I asked, confused. Isn't Aster older than Ciella? And I thought Aster was only fourteen._

The prince bit his lip and lowered his head. "She has gone to rest in the heavens now…" The prince mumbled.

_"Of Tantua!"_

How. Did. She. Know.

Name.

Princess.

Faked Death.

Ran Away.

Aster.

Prince.

Ciella.

Aster was the princess of Tantua!


	11. Eleven

_Chenate-_

I wrote. It wasn't… anything emotional or endearing of the sort, however it was straight to the point. Something I'm usually not.

_How have you been in Cavereta? I'm well, here and I've traveled to Havyne. _

I looked at my letter and frustrated, crumpled it up. It was the next day, and I had a peaceful sleep, waking up to a rushed note on my pillow.

_Snow,_

_Went to find the market. Kids are working. Be back by mid-day._

_Aster._

Kids? Must be Jessica and Trinity, I shrugged and really took a look at the cottage. I gagged at all of the dust and dirty … junk…

And the _smell_! It was stale, yet a putrid kind of stale. Why hadn't I noticed it last night?

Immediately, I opened all the windows, (which weren't boarded up) and the door. Pinning up my hair in a ribbon, I looked for a broom, a cloth, an anything that would be of use.

And for the first time since I left Tantua, I began to clean like I've never cleaned before. The house was mostly cleaned up by the time Aster came back. She was alone, but had bundles of food bunched in her arms.

I glared at her murderously. She was still partially in the doorway, the door open where she was, but kind of closed, like leaning on her. Oh, I can't explain it. It was like the door was closing on her but she was a wedge there so that the door stayed open.

A wedge. Oh, if she could have turned into one right then. She would have been a lot luckier if she were.

"Why didn't you tell me you were the princess of Tantua? You know how much Chenate misses you? God knows. And Ciella. Ciella is turning fifteen next month. Fifteen! Oh but it wouldn't matter much, she was only nine, ten years old when you left. If she's lucky, she won't remember you!" I raged.

Aster opened her eyes wide. "How did you know?"

"I'm not as stupid as you like to think I am, Aster." I scuttled off to my carpetbag and snatched Cerdames' the mirror. Quickly, but with care, I hastily laid the mirror on the table that I had seen Trinity first at. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, Show me Chenate."

The vision inside the mirror waved like a reflection in the water distorted by a ripple in the glassy surface.

The glass cleared to a picture of Chenate, in what seemed to be Penepia again. He was talking to an elf, about a house, which I remembered he wanted to get Ciella for her birthday. He was so, so handsome…

"I believe a conch shell will do wonders for Ciella," The prince said to the green, aging elf. He pointed to an elfin house, a purple shell that looked like a vertical sand dollar.

I looked at Aster, whose dark eyes were wide with nostalgia. I knew, that whatever she had built up within the last five and a half years had been destroyed within those two minutes.

As she gaped at Cerdames', watching her brother and then her sister, I peeked into the pile of food she had brought home.

"Aster" I spoke out, breaking her from her prison.

"Yes?"

"Where did you get all of this food? You don't have money." I sniffed and scratched my cheek.

"Uh… I got a job down at the market. They pay well." Aster replied, a faraway sound in her voice. She was still watching Cerdames.

 "I'm making dinner." I croaked bluntly.

"The kids will be home soon," Aster cut in. "Trinity, Jessica, Aiphen, Bayard, Norbio and Dracon." She listed.

"Who…are Aiphen, Bayard, Norbio and Dracon…?" I raised my eyebrow.

She peeked her heard around the corner to the kitchen to face me. "You'll see. Just make lots and lots of dinner."

I grimaced and made a face at her. "You just help me then. You…you just. Augh. Aster!"

"Okay! Okay…" Aster finally left Cerdames and came to join me at the now clean-ish kitchen. I sorted through the sacks of food.

"So… How many people are we cooking for?" I asked Aster, handing her a few oranges. Aster took them and went to the sink. "Hold on, I just need to pump some water from the well. Why don't you come with me? We can tan a little." She invited.

I laughed. "No, I can't tan"

Aster reached up to grab a wooden bucket from a shelf. "What do you mean, you can't tan? My dear, you are allowed to tan."

"My skin never changes color," I elaborated. "Ever. Always white, white, white. Or else I burn like nobody's business."

Aster snorted. "Okay, good to know, good to know. At least now I know why you look like you've never seen the light."

"Hey!" I took in offense. That was offensive. I was offended. Hence, I took in offence. Ah… anyways…

"Well? I was just _wondering_" Aster smiled, walking out the doorway. I followed her, still offended.

"Might I remind you, the lighter the skin, the seemingly higher the rank." I snapped, miffed.

Aster stopped walking, and turned around, slowly. "Annabelle, might I remind _you_, even though they think I'm dead, I'm still of higher rank than you."  She said in a low, quiet voice, though I could hear every word perfectly.

I looked down and blushed. I was mildly humiliated. This is because:

A) I forgot this little fact

B) She used my real name

C) She talked to me like I was a peasant child

D) She's younger than me

E) She was so, totally, completely, brutally, right.

"So her skin color does change! As the cheeks do burn as promised." Aster said sarcastically, referring to my blushing.

"My apologies, your highness" I mumbled, my face burning even more.

Aster suddenly smiled and with a wave of her hand, started to walk gaily again. "Yes, 'tis all right. The well is there now!" She pointed to a well next to a water pump. Which of course is extremely useless; because the well is for well, water. And the pump is too. Aster grinned wildly. "_Wheeee!_" She squealed, and ran (slightly in a moronic fashion, though it looked like fun) to the well/pump contraption thing.

I grinned like Aster and looked around incase there was anyone around us.

Nothing.

I ran to catch up with Aster, flailing my arms maniacally and made funny noises, which sounded like, "_Eebee, Eebee!_ All the way to Aster. When we got to the well, we collapsed with laughter (and to catch our breath, well, my breath).

"You should loosen up more, Snow." Aster panted. "Look how much fun you're having. Doesn't it feel good to be unbound by social status?" Aster pointed out, still breathing heavily.

"Aye." I wheezed.

Aster dragged herself to the pump, not the well, the pump, and practically had to sit on the rusty lever to make it go down. When the lever finally descended, nothing came out of the spout. Aster frowned at it. I looked up the spout to see what might have been clogging it.

"I don't see anything wrong…" I mumbled to Aster. The lever went up. I peeked into the spout again. Aster sat on the lever. The lever descended.

Sploosh.

"**_Oooh Aster I'm going to kill you!_**"

Wet clothes are not ideal for running, but it sure was a quick way to get them dry.

_HA! IN YOUR FACE! I ACTUALLY GOT A CHAPTER UP! Small and short, mind you, but hey! I'm not dead. Grins OH YEAH! IT'S MY ONE-YEAR FP.COM ANNIVERSARY THIS MOTHERS DAY! WHOOOOO!_

**Alright, thank you all very much! BrokenIce**

            ****


	12. Twelve

**_Thank you all so much- here is your story. By the way, I'm changing the title to Golden Delicious. Yes. That's all._**

****

My clothes had dried, and Aster had cleaned up. We decided to make a stew out of the things that Aster had brought home, and to tell sooth, it was excellent.

"Aster, did you buy any apples? I want to try those apples you made when we first met." I stirred the meaty stew, to keep it from starting a thick skin on the top.

"No, But next time we get apples I can make you some. Actually, I can just give you the recipe." She offered.

I shrugged, and paused, leaving the wooden spoon in the pot. "Sure," I started, and watched as she cut up some celery for the stew. "Hey what did you say roasting apples was good for again?"

A knock on the door sounded, as Aster handed me a dish of cut celery.

"I'll get that." She murmured.

But before Aster reached, the door, a dirty Jessica pushed open the door, because Aster hadn't fixed the lock yet. I waved from my spot near the pot at the fireplace.

"Jessica! How goes it?"

"Well! However I'm starving and I know the children are too." She stepped in and Trinity followed her. And a girl about Trinity's age followed her, along with three boys I couldn't recognize. But the confusion went both ways. The girl who wasn't Trinity and the two oldest boys stopped short, the littlest boy, crashing into the small crowd, knocking them all off their balance.

Aster held in her laughter, but I just stood there like an idiot as everyone (including Jessica) attempted to untangle themselves from each other. "How now, Aster?" Jessica's muffled voice could be heard, just barely before one of the older boys shouted.

"Oh get off! You en't sneaking food, are you? Heavy as a boulder! Get off!"

"Are, are you all right?" I asked warily.

"Aye, they're fine," Jessica said calmly, starting to stand up. Her face was bathed in soot and her dress was frayed, torn, dusty, and stained. I felt uncomfortable, so I turned my head and stirred the stew again. It smelled good, and I bet my own portion of food, I heard other stomachs growling in agreement.

Aster rounded up the children, and ordered them to set the table. For Bayard, (That was the little one's name), she took outside to help her fetch water from the well (The same well that drenched me, not two hours before) and meet Pony.

After dinner, (Aster made them wash up, or she wasn't going to serve them) I requested to be alone, and talked with Cerdames. I know I should have talked to the kids and all, but I just kept thinking about Chenate.

I barely even knew him and I was wishing I could marry him… was that twisted and wrong? Yes, probably. But I was already at the legal marrying age and I was supposed dead.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, please show me Chenate." I sighed, wistfully.

The glass of Cerdames blurred into a mix of colors and then focused. He was with that princess again. Tavetina.

Tavetina was picking at her dress, pink, and filled with ruffles, frills, sequins, laces, silks, velvets, jewels, embroiders, strings, ribbons and beads. And that was on just one dress. Her hair was golden blonde, as usual, but done up so it resembled a throne.

So there was a big hairy chair on top of her head. I had to laugh. Both of them were outside, in what looked to be a garden. Tavetina sat on the stone bench, still picking at her dress, while Chenate, _obviously_ forced into a suit that matched Tavetina's, (pink with ruffles and lace and baubles of every sort) looked incredibly bored.

This scene went on for a few seconds, and then as if struck by a wonderful idea, Chenate brightened and turned to the chaperone and started to talk.

"Hello, how goes it?" Chenate asked.

The chaperone shrugged. He didn't look as if he wanted to talk with anybody, but Chenate was probably bored out of his…suit thing in all its pinkishness. And Tavetina in all _her_ pinkishness, so much that he probably didn't notice.

"Er, yes. Well, what is the name of thyself?" He smiled brightly.

The chaperone shrugged again.

"Are you a boy or a girl?" Chenate asked, in desperation of some conversation.

The chaperone shrugged again.

Chenate stood up, frustrated with this display of non-conversation. "I thank thee for thy speech" He mumbled, and then left. Chenate trudged into the castle door and began the long walk to his chambers. He walked straight and had long strides. I was kind of impressed. Then he turned a corner, where a row of lit torches illuminated the long hallway. He peeked, and seeing that nobody was in the hallway, (must have been a huge castle if nobody was in the hallway. There's _always _someone in the hallways.) Chenate got a really grumpy look on his face, and _stomped_ down the hallway, slouching. I burst out laughing from my end of the mirror, just watching him stomp, slouch and have a grumpy look every time a hallway was deserted. He only did it about eight times, but that's very little compared to all the twists and turns of the hallways he had to take. I'm sure it took at least a quarter of an hour just for him to reach his chambers.

When he got to his door, he groaned like a donkey and stomped his foot again, just as a laundrywoman walked by. She dropped her load of clothes and stared at him in bewilderment.

Chenate tried to save himself by smiling. "Ah… hello, my name is Chenate." He greeted.

"Mmm…uahhhh!" The laundrywoman screamed, stuffed the laundry back in the basket and kind of waddled/ran off.

Chenate looked around, making sure nobody saw, and then bolted inside of his room.

He flopped on his rather large bed and groaned. I looked around at the room as best I could. The walls were painted dark red, with gold trimmings around the ceiling. There was a writing desk, with loads of paper and four bottles of ink. Not to mention six quills. Beside the bed was a table with a pitcher and glasses. It looked like his room was as big as the cottage I was staying in with Aster and Jessica and the kids.

I looked longingly at Chenate. I felt bad for him, that there was nobody good to talk to in Cavereta. I would have given him laughter and conversation. Without warning, he got up off of his enormous bed and walked over to a fancy mirror. I sighed and kept watching.

All of a sudden, Chenate started talking. "Mirror, mirror on the wall…"

I leaned forward in anticipation. Chenate had a fairy mirror! I listened hard to hear what Chenate was going to say next. "Please show me Annabelle."

Next thing, I was face to face with Chenate through our mirrors.

Both of us, I think, were so stunned that neither of us said anything. My eyes widened and I started to laugh nervously, though my throat seemed to crack and I coughed. When I recovered, Chenate and I just stayed where we were, staring. "Can you hear me?" I asked, timidly.

Chenate seemed to find his senses again and shook out of whatever reverie he sunk in. "Annabe- Snow!" He smiled slightly. "Yes, I can hear you… What… how are you talking to me? Have you got a fairy- mirror? What's going on? Diana's lips. I think the world has gone round."

He looked so confused.

"Ah, yes, I do have a fairy mirror, not twenty minutes ago I asked Cerdames- that's my mirror, by the way- to see you." I squeaked.

Chenate's smile faded and he blushed. "So… how much of me did you see?"

I laughed at him. "Since you asked your chaperone whether he was a boy or a girl." I replied, smiling.

His freckles seemed to pale and his curls seemed to sag. "Oh." He said dully. "So you saw my parade through the hallways?" He referred to the slouchy, stompy, grumpy phase of him.

"Aye," I nodded. "Never knew you did that." I tucked my hair behind my ears to make sure I looked all right. "How's Cavereta?" I changed the subject. "I heard they're great conversationalists." I said, grinning.

Chenate snorted. "Yes. They're terrific conversationalists if you like the sort of people who shrug themselves into oblivion."

I shrugged, until halfway I realized what I was doing and just sat. Suddenly, Bayard came in, though Chenate didn't see him because the mirror was on the same side as the door. "Hello Bayard." I greeted.

Chenate's eyes looked surprised but then quickly hardened. "Who's Bayard?"

"He's a friend of mine. No, no I have no romantic interest in him." I said, quickly to Chenate's guard. Bayard then walked in front of the mirror, but only the top of his head skimmed the reach of the mirror.

"Is he a dwarf?"

I raised my eyebrows. "A dwarf? Imagine me, living with dwarves! No, He's a little boy."

"I'm not little!" Bayard's voice defended.

"There's more?" Chenate asked.

"Yeah... seven people. Isn't that fun? There's um… Bayard, Trinity, Jessica, Norbio… um… Draco, Aphen…I think that's her name. And Ast…" I paused, not knowing whether I should give him the news of his sister who… like I had run away and were believed to be dead.

"Chenate, I have to go." I said bluntly, and I could see his features look crestfallen. "But why don't we talk tomorrow? Same time?" I offered.

He nodded enthusiastically. It was adorable.

"Good bye milady."

"Your highness" I said, teasingly.


	13. Thirteen

HI! I um… I know this chapter is so so so short, but I beg you on my knees, "Please read and review my new story, Motion Pictures Presents on ! It's a bribe. You review that one and I'll make a super good chapter of the next Golden Delicious story. Please? Please? Thank you, I love you- Muah- Oh P.S- I posted this on a while ago, and then just yesterday posted chapter 14 on that too. So I'm posting both chapters up today. What a lovely treat. Now go review the aforementioned story!

Authors Note- Back then, gentle meant of nobility. Higher ranking than that of a commoner (squire, lord, duke, etc. etc)

I went downstairs after talking to Chenate and brought Bayard with me, to find the kids lounged on Jessica's bed; Aster reading one of the old books on the musty, probably rotting shelves.

"And the princess left her older sisters and her wicked step-mother to live with her true love, Prince Charming." Aster finished.

"And did she live happily ever after?" Trinity asked, sleepily.

"Aye," Aster answered. "And she had lots of children, and she was the happiest girl in the world. Now come, Trinity, go to your own bed I'm sure Jessica wants you not sleeping on her bed." Dragging the nearly asleep Trinity and the sting of all of the other tired children, Aster smiled at me and led each child to bed. I put Bayard down, and he obediently followed the children, leaving me with Jessica.

"Snow, are you gentle?" She asked me, once everyone had gone. "You and Aster. You must be gentle."

"What makes you say that?" I stalled, not knowing whether I should tell her or not.

"You talk differently. Tell sooth! Sometimes you say 'Yes' instead of 'aye' and you've got a different accent. And Aster can read. You and Aster have the same accent, but I know you aren't sisters or anything."

I didn't answer, but I decided that I would have to tell at least someone the truth, and Jessica had figured most of it out and asked.

"It's a long story, though." I gave in.

"I've got time, Snow. Is it a great story?" She ventured.

"I think, a wonderful one."

"Is it a finished story?"

"No, not yet."

Jessica left the room suddenly and returned with a quill, parchment and ink.

"Well, It really started when I was younger. Maybe fifteen, I can't even remember anymore. I heard my stepmother say, 'Peter, please.' Oh, Peter is my father's name. And then she said, 'Annabelle, and I- we just- I don't know! You know we don't get along! Can't you send her to the finishing school in Linalena? It would be much more conventional, and it's quite cheap!'" I mocked Desdemona's voice.

Jessica scribbled what I said on the paper. I paused slowly. "You can read, and write…" I stated. She stopped, but didn't look at me.

"I…I…" She said, trying to think of a way to find an excuse, but I mistook it for 'aye'.

"Amazing! Where did you learn?" I asked, both of us knowing full well that it was illegal for her to know how.

"My Pa taught me. But…you won't tell anyone, will you?" She looked up at me.

"Nay," I smiled. "Your secret is safe."

And with that, I began to tell her of my adventures up until that point. And she sat on her bed, writing, making legends worthy of the gods.


	14. Fourteen

A/N: Thanks to those who read my new story, Motion Pictures Presents. I love you. If you want me to love you too, go read! Yee haw! (I don't know WHAT I was thinking when I wrote Yee haw, now that I look back on it)

THIS IS WHERE IT ALL MAKES SENSE!!!!

I was so tired. Jessica had drawn every bit of my strength by badgering me on information including a memory of Chenate and I when we were little. But after that one memory I snapped at her, and told the rest of my adventure, but then went to rest.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall," I said to Cerdames. She awoke instantly and waited for me to say something. I flounced on my bed and looked at her, tiredly. The evening had birthed into the wee hours of the day and though I was deathly tired, sleep would not come.

"Tell me the story of Snow White" I yawned.

Cerdames cocked her head. "The prophesy, milady?"

I blinked. "Prophesy? Whatever is it that means you? Is't really a prophesy?" I asked.

Cerdames nodded slowly, as if she could not see that I had no clue as to what she was talking about. "Yes, milady, and the prophesy is being fulfilled at the moment!"

I shook my head in disbelief. "So every time I heard the story I was listening to the prophesy of another lady?" I calculated to Cerdames, disbelieving.

"No, Milady, you've heard twisted stories of the prophesy. Your own prophesy."

I rolled my eyes. "Prophesies can be changed," I laughed, believing it was a joke. But something in Cerdames' eyes told me it was true.

"Don't be silly," I shook my head, but Cerdames face was stern.

"A prophesy I heard naught!" I reasoned. "Tis only a children's story."

Cerdames held her gaze and her facial expression didn't change. "Milady…"

"Cerdames!" I snapped. "There is no prophecy at all! You musn't talk about such things!"

"Annabelle." Cerdames looked at me, sympathetic.

I gave up and threw myself onto the rest of the bed. "I never knew anything, about a prophesy. So why all of a sudden, is there one now?"

"It has always been there. You've heard it tens upon hundreds of times, milady. Let me tell you the story you've always heard, and then I will tell you the true prophesy you are to live…

"A long time ago, a child was born to a queen and king and she was called Snow White. When the queen died, the king married again. This new queen was wicked and hated Snow white. The queen gave orders that Snow White was to be treated as a servant.

Snow White grew very beautiful and one day a Prince riding by, saw her at work and fell in love with her.

The queen was beautiful too, and every day she asked her Magic Mirror, "Who is the fairest in the land?" and the mirror always answered, "You are the fairest one of all".

I interrupted Cerdames. "Wait," I said, smiling slightly at the old story. "Tis says, 'The queen'. I am no princess, Cerdames, merely the daughter of a duke."

Cerdames clucked her tongue. "What would've made the story better? The daughter of a duke? Or a princess, milady?"

I frowned. I would have made a good story.

Cerdames shook her head and continued. "But one day-"__

"Wait!" I cried. "Desdemona is not beautiful!"

"Good point…" Mused Cerdames. "But I cannot lie, milady. You know that. Stop interrupting, child." She chastised, and went forth.

"…But one day the mirror answered Snow White was the fairest in the land, and in a rage the queen gave orders to one of her Huntsmen to take Snow White into the woods and kill her.

The Huntsman-"__

"Terencia!" I shouted happily, until I got a look from Cerdames. __

"…had a kind heart and couldn't do the deed so told her to run away. She fled into the woods where seven little dwarfs lived. Their house was small and strange.

Snow White entered the little house and finding it very untidy, started to clean up. Upstairs she found seven little beds. She was very tired and stretching out on one of the beds, was soon asleep.

When the Dwarfs came home they were surprised to find Snow White and after some argument, decided to let her stay. She promised to cook and look after them.

The Queen discovered where Snow White was living and disguising herself as a witch, took a poisoned apple and set out for the Dwarfs cottage. She gave Snow White the poisoned apple to eat and as soon as she bit the apple, she sank into unconsciousness.

Thinking she was dead, the Dwarfs built a glass coffin and put her in it. For days she lay in the forest in her glass coffin. One day, the Prince was riding through the forest looking for Snow White and found her. He leaned over and kissed her. She opened her eyes and sat up with a smile. Everyone was happy. The Prince took Snow White to his palace where they were married and lived happily ever after"

I paused deeply after Cerdames had finished.

"It makes sense not, still!" I argued. "Dwarves!"

"The children!" Cerdames substituted. "There are seven, dear."

I looked down at my fingers. "Bayard, Jessica, Aiphen…" I searched my head trying to remember. "Trinity…" I stalled. I couldn't remember.

"Norbio…" Cerdames said. "Dracon…"

"Right, right, them, yes." I said, but then stopped. "There are only six!" I shouted triumphantly, accidentally only holding up five fingers. "Six!" I said again, raising another finger.

Cerdames exhaled slowly. "And Aster."

I picked at my very, very dirty gown.

Cerdames continued. "Now let me tell you the real prophesy…

"One day, in the future, there will be a girl who takes the name of Snow White. Her mother will die, and her father will marry anew. His new wife will be wicked and cruel, jealous of the beauteous aura, in which Snow White doth thrive. The queen gave orders that Snow White was to be treated as a servant, whilst every day, Snow White will fall deeply in love with the prince."

I nodded, frowning at how true the "prophesy" was.

"One day, after many days of slavery, Snow White will run away, to a forest, and there she will meet a woman who is forever cursed. This woman, under her curse is forced to kill her under the order of Snow White's stepmother, but will not succeed. Snow White will then further run away to a home in which only little ones will dwell. But Snow White's stepmother will hear of her stepdaughter's escape and seek revenge. By poisoning a Golden Delicious Apple, she will don a disguise and sell the apple which Snow White will eat, and as soon as the apple touches her lips, she will fall instantly in a sleep of death." Cerdames finished.

I expected her to say something more, but she didn't. "But…" I said slowly, confused. "What? What about the prince?"

Cerdames shrugged. "T'was only a fabrication to make the story end well, wasn't ever part of the prophesy."

My jaw quivered. It was true. It was all true. How could I have been so blindly stupid? I heard the story so many times. How could I not notice I was living it?

"Milady," Cerdames said, but she could say nothing to comfort me, so she said nothing at all. I groaned.

I understood how the story and the prophesy could be so different, but be the same. "Dwarves" was a close mistake of "Little ones", though I wasn't sure about Terencia having a truly "kind heart" so much as she was half cursed. But I ignored that.

"But Cerdames, if it were not for the story I hath loved, I would not have called myself Snow White! A blind circle of events!" I commented.

"If only." She replied curtly. I sighed again, promising myself to not buy apples. I didn't want to die, though it seemed as now I didn't have a choice. But…if I didn't buy apples, I wouldn't die! And I would get to see Chenate again! My heart swooned weakly at the thought of him.

I cursed Desdemona again. Trying to kill me because she thought I was beautiful? She was already _married!_ Who was she trying to impress?

I twirled my long black hair around my fingers and yawned.

"Lady, t'is late. Go to sleep now." Cerdames noted emotionlessly.

And so, nervous at acquiring this new knowledge of my fate, I closed my eyes and did as I was told.

Will you review? Please? And if you do/don't, will you go check out my story Motion Pictures Presents? Thanks for all your support- couldn't have don't this without you.


	15. Fifteen

Sorry for the short chapter. All of this was forced. Who cares? Not me. That's for sure. All I wasn't to do for this story is DLT DLT DLT! Bah. Read my other story if you really love me. (BrokenIce on Fictionpress, Motion Pictures Presents) Thanks?

I walked in a bit of a daze, the next morning, thinking about my prophecy, and promised myself not to buy apples. Ever and forever after. That way, I could evade the prophecy.

I smiled to myself thinking that I was okay then. I could never eat apples for the rest of my life. That was fine, I tried to convince myself. I am going to marry Chenate. And I am going to get rid of Desi. And I am going to be happy. I just cannot eat any apples.

Good Heavens.

I was going to be okay, okay? Not okay. Somebody just chuck an apple at my head. Just kidding, really.

When I went downstairs again, I noticed everyone was already gone, again. And the foyer was a complete mess. Mud and grass was everywhere. A squished bug or two made the whole mess more ornate, but the crusty sand made it complete. I gagged and thought to myself, that I should better begin.

I wished Chenate were part of the prophecy.

And also, Desi can't even run, never mind run and fall off a mountain, like the story (Not the prophesy). She'd have to roll off, I thought to myself, and laughed.

Laughing felt good.

The face of Dreynagus was stoic as he watched Desdemona from his glass bounds.

"My lady, do not add to the burden of your mistakes!" Dreynagus said ominously.

Desi glared at the mirror and swept sweaty strands of hair away from her spherical head. "Annabelle will be the death of me." She snarled, crows fluttering away in fright.

"Sooth," Dreynagus commented. "She shall."

Desdemona screamed in rage and frustration, and clutched a fire poker. It was uneasily heavy, but she had never held one before, and it was unnatural in her hands. In a quick burst of strength, Desi swung the poker at the mirror, shattering the glass head on.

Dreynagus died that instant.

However, it wasn't as if she had ever cared. Turning back to her poisons, Desi looked at all of them with derision.

Not strong enough.

Took too long to react.

Not enough to kill.

She looked at a glassy red container. Perfect.

Carefully she analyzed each of the others, none of them to her liking. A dagger beyond the twisted bottles and broken vials lay cunningly close to Desdemona's hand. She picked it up, and had an idea. Hastily, she sawed off a cluster of hair, matted by sweat and shoved it into the opening of another rusted decanter. It wasn't a poison, but a potion.

She had quickly realized there was not going to be an easy way to convince Annabelle to drink the poison, least of all, the poison given to her by Desdemona. She held the dagger dangerously, and pierced her thumb, letting the bright blood roll down into the green vial.

"May the red of this blood soon match the ruby of her lips." Desdemona muttered in a mad soliloquy. She smiled lopsidedly now. "And for something sweet to murder thy equal in innocence."

There was no candy in the manor- Desdemona had eaten it all. Nor were there any cakes of any kind. It had been a long time since Annabelle had stopped making them, and all of the servants had been fired. The only thing there was left was the natural sugar of apples.

Desdemona growled. Apples were bad enough, but they were small, sour ones at that. Taking the basket of the apples with her, she ran down to her poisons to see what could be done.

She looked at the dozen apples and bit one. _Sour,_ Desdemona thought, disgusted. _They will never do!_ She threw the bitten apple to the floor, but knocked the red vial over, spilling onto the fruit. Desdemona cried out in alarm. Her potion had been ruined.

She stopped suddenly when the apples started to grow to the size of two of her fists together and became a sparkling gold. She raised her eyebrows and smirked. These apples could easily pass for thriving Golden Delicious apples. Desdemona neatly arranged the remaining eleven apples into the basket and stared expectantly at the green vial.

Instinctively, she looked back at Dreynagus, waiting for him to comment, but there was none. The mirror stayed shattered and dead, bits of small glass still stuck to the edges of the dulled frame.

No matter. She hauled the small green concoction to her fat lips and threw back her head. The potion was bitter, and Desdemona nearly spit it out, but forced it down.

Immediately, she could feel herself shrinking and her skin growing gaunt. Her breath became haggard and she clutched her back in pain. Desdemona's legs were weak and ached from years and years of aging. Her hair seemed to scream in horror and turned a shade of ghostly white.

She caught herself in one of Dreynagus' broken shards and nodded grimly. She took the basket and hobbled towards the nearest door.

It was time to kill the beloved Annabelle.


	16. Sixteen

Something bad was going to happen. I could feel it.

Something… really bad was going to happen. Everyone was out again: all of the children and Jessica and Aster. They all left to work and I sat home like a beggar, a servant. I thought again to my "prophesy." I felt confident that it wouldn't happen. Prophesies changed, you know.

All the time- for one, I hadn't met any dwarves, and dwarves are not the same as children. Nobody had sold me apples. So I could just sit here not dying and such.

It sounded good.

There was another note from Jessica asking if I could make dinner again, and there were shillings on the table for food, also, there's a small ham in the kitchen could I make that too? So that's what I did.

It felt good to be outside, even though it was cold. I looked around the stalls searching for food worth the gold I held. Fruit would be a fine dessert. No apples. No apples, I promised myself.

"Two loaves for a piece." I bargained with a heavyset man, offering baked goods.

"Nay, sweet. A shillin' each aye." He was a stubborn one.

"a'caint afford!" I argued, and feigning disappointment. I looked at the loaves longingly and turned away, knowing he'd do anything to make a sale to feed his little ones.

"Hold!" He shouted after me, his great black beard wagging. I stopped and faced him again slowly. I'd have to play my cards right, a difficult thing indeed.

"Sir?" I asked, innocently.

"Do thy have two pieces, at least?" He begged. But I wouldn't budge.

"For wot?" I asked suspiciously.

"I'll a'sell thee two loaves ain' an apple pie for a'how bout two shillin's?" I nodded, but then shook my head no.

No apples, no apples.

The man looked halfway to desperate. "A fistful of rolls?"

Rolls and two loaves here was excellent. I agreed happily and left.

I tried bargaining for fruit here too, but not much was looking good, and the vendors were grumpy.

So I went home to prepare another meal like I had so many other times before.

So prepare a meal I did. I don't know why, but I felt that this meal should be as good as a banquet, and I wasn't the daughter of a Duke for nothing.

I prepared a delicate soup from turnips I found in the overgrown garden, which had managed to survive.

There were some spices left, though I admit not many at all, the ones left were bland. I found dill in the back, which I mixed in with butter for our loaves. While the soup was boiling, I cut some napkins from one of the dresses that didn't fit me anymore from a few months ago.

Polishing the plates took me an hour, and I had the vague feeling of Desdemona again, so I stopped after the sixth plate and rinsed the last two only.

By now, the ham was roasting on the fire, and every so often I'd have to remember to rotate it so it wouldn't burn on one side. It was disgusting, spearing the slab of meat on the pole, and every time I tried to turn it, it was roll back the way it was leaning, because the weight was unbalanced. But soon enough (Thank Heavens it was a small ham) it was finished and I could rest.

Aster would be coming home soon, the children not so behind after. I would have to ask her how to teach me how to roast the fruit. How it had some kind of medical effect, I forgot, but before I could wait for her to come home and ask her, I passed out on a tiny chair in fatigue.

I woke up to two things- Dracon prodding me awake and the delicious smell of food. Even though I had been preparing, I hadn't eaten all day. The children each sat scrubbed and fresh at the table tentatively holding their forks.

"Oh, hello." I said sleepily.

A chorus of hellos replied back.

"Eat." They did savagely. Aiphen even spit out a piece of ham cartilage into the napkin of my dress. It was the grossest breach of manners I had ever seen, and I tried my hardest to not show it.

After all, I was the daughter of a Duke, and they were not. Only Aster ate calmly, and Jessica, trying to be as ladylike as she could, tried to copy her as much as possible.

You would think I was used to this, but I realized how much I missed the way things were. But I couldn't go back even if I wanted to. Desdemona was probably still at home. I could see even Aster was nostalgic about her home too- she must have been to a lot of banquets as well when she was still home.

Dracon and I headed to the table to eat before everything was gone. I did better than I thought I would. Everybody left the table full and I apologized that I had no dessert for them.

Aster stepped up. "Don't worry, I saw you with the vendors and horrible bargaining skills," She said. "So I bought some fruit myself and roasted it the way I like to do while you were sleeping and I smelled the wonderful aroma. I reached for one of her golden roasted delicacies.

"Where did you buy these? They're excellent!" And popped it into my mouth. My eyes bulged and I sat down to steady myself.

"I bought these apples from an old woman. She didn't want to sell them to me, but I said there was not harm if I only bought five, she had six left anyways and she said she needed one."

My arms stiffened and I felt so tired again, even though I had just slept. I _wasn't allowed_ to eat these, my conscious nagged. But they were so good. I swallowed the piece I had in my mouth with difficulty.

I needed another one. But my head lolled to the side and my eyes closed. I fell from the chair onto the hard wooden floor and the children watched me in horror, not knowing what to do.

Was I dead?

I felt like I was whooshing out of the top of my head. For several seconds, I floated above everybody's heads and my own body, crumpled on the floor. My body was uncomfortable; I could still feel it and I watched it. My hair was greasy and unwashed and I still had food on my mouth.

"Hello?" I tried to use my voice, but my voice was with my body and here I was, without it.

But how could it be that I knew what I needed to live again? I needed life at my lips again, but I didn't know a food that would be full of life, unless a medicine was put into the fruit the same way the apples had poison in them.

Poison. Desdemona was not an old woman.

And Aster wasn't Desdemona. Besides, I knew she was telling the truth. But poisoned apples for me to eat weren't coincidences.

She was here.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Hope you like it. It's short but I know where I'm going with this now.

Love you.

BrokenIce


	17. Seventeen

The next day, Jessica tightly bundled a mattress of hay so shiny it looked like gold and set my body upon it. The stiff cramps went away as I lay, stretched out on the mattress by the back door. Aster threw a blanket on me in case I was cold and wanted to wake up, which I did both, however I soon remembered wanting was not the same as getting.

For hours, when everyone was sleeping, or awake, I drifted aimlessly through the house, trying to figure out a way to understand what happened to me.

I had eaten a poisoned apple of Desdemona's- that was plainly obvious. But I should be dead! Not floating in this weightless limbo. I was frightened. The prophesy had almost come true, and it might be too late to save myself. If I had a body, I would have sobbed for hours, but even I wasn't blessed enough- I could only hold in my burden with no way to release it.

Aster told the children that I had fallen asleep, and she told them the story of sleeping beauty. But Jessica knew how I really was, and kept sullen around my body. I hated the way I was now. I would drift around the house, even if I didn't want to. I was afraid the children would leave the door open- I wouldn't know how to get back if I had floated away.

Two days later, there was a horse outside. It's passenger came in the evening. I willed myself to drift to the window to see who it was, but it was impossible. The children ran away into their rooms, but Jessica let him in and shared some food. Aster was out to fetch more water from the well to wash the dishes. The newcomer worried Jessica. It was plainly obvious, the way she looked weary. Another mouth to feed, another body to make room for, another one to look after.

The figure was robed in burlap. They downed the food instantly, and I cursed my position. Their back was to me and I could do nothing about it. He didn't say anything, even when Jessica tried to make conversation.

Chenate. He was coming to save me!

But how? How did he know where I was? I felt lightheaded and confused. Everything seemed to be happening at once. I swooned with adoration several times, but then remembered I was almost dead. My body was starving with hunger and my muscles became limp and began to stiffen.

"Would you like to stay for the night?" Jessica asked generously. Chenate replied yes with courtesy and thanks. I almost collapsed at hearing voice, combined with weakness.

_He was going to save me_.

**I know this is intensely short but I guess it could be deemed important. Please bear with me. I'm going through a bunch of stuff right now that is hard to figure out. I'm not even finished school yet. I promise a really, really long chapter is coming as soon as school is finished.**

**Am. And it would be really, really nice if you could support my story Motion Pictures Presents on under the penname False Advertisement. It would mean alot, but I guess with my poor updating skills that would be asking too much, huh?**


	18. Eighteen

**Please, read the last few chapters if you've forgotten what's been going on. This is the last chapter of Golden Delicious. Thank you for all your reviews- it's been fun! I was actually going to update two weeks from now, but I had a change of heart. But please stick around-**

**Also, just to answer a couple questions,**

**1) Jessica and Aster do NOT know that Annabelle is floating around all over the place. They think she's dead, but aren't sure whether to bury her or not.**

**2) To clarify, the genre of this story is romance/fantasy. Rated T for some language, in the Ella Enchanted section. Also in C2 of the Ella Enchanted section.**

**3) The elfish language I put in the story is completely made up. If there is such a language, it was not followed or modeled after mine, or vice versa.**

**Thanks, and enjoy.**

* * *

_She sharpened her arrows and tested the bow. Good. It didn't break this time. There would be a death tonight, and nobody was to stop her. After years of misery, she was going to kill, and only good could come of that. Only good._

* * *

Jessica and Chenate chatted uncomfortably.

"Aster should be back soon. She went to get some water from the well."

"Who's Aster?" Chenate said, adjusting his cloak.

I tried making a noise in my throat, but my body stayed still. I hadn't counted on Chenate and Aster meeting. What would happen when Chenate found his sister, who _wasn't_ dead and many years older? Would he leave in rage? In grief? Would he even see me at all? I floated to a nearby wall, where I had a better view of Chenate.

"She's someone else who lives here too." Jessica said simply. "Let's move your belongings." I wondered where he would go to sleep, when I realized that my room was the only one empty. Just then, Aster knocked on the door.

Chenate was going to miss me! In my mind I watched as he left the cottage and in a state of chaos, left me to die, sleeping forever. But he just stared at the knocking of the door and neither he nor Jessica made a motion to open it. In panic and frustration, I hit the wall with my hand.

It took me a while to remember I didn't have a hand in this ghost-like limbo, and looked to my body. My left hand twitched, but nobody noticed.

I stared at my body to see if I moved anymore, but I looked like I was dead.

Suddenly, Jessica ran to the door to a red-faced Aster, carrying two heavy buckets of water.

"Jessica! You can at least open the door. Now take this and-" She stopped short, staring at the guest.

She eyed him as he walked towards her, arm extended. "Hello. I'm-"

"Chenate." She said in an unbelieving voice. His wary smile disappeared.

"Who are you?"

"Asterline Misha." She said shakily. Both royals stared at each other in disbelief. Jessica sat stunned and confused at the two. I prayed Chenate wouldn't leave. The entire cottage was silent, and it seemed so was the entire town of Havyne.

Chenate recovered first. "You're alive?"

"I…I ran away."

"But we had a _funeral_. It would be impossible for you to come back to Tantua. The entire _world_ thinks you're dead. You ran away? How could you just run away? And how did you end up here? You could have been in so much danger!"

Aster winced as his voice became louder and louder. "I pretended I was a servant in our castle. Have you seen how they were treated? I told father how badly they lived and he said he would take care of it. He never did. I was so angry at him, I left as a lowly servant." She whispered steadily, giving Chenate time to calm. "I had much money," she continued. "I stole a horse and used protective spells."

Chenate peered at Aster and found nothing but the truth. Before he could say any more, Aster started again.

"But what are _you_ doing here? Why are you dressed…" she motioned to his burlap clothing.

Chenate looked at her incredulously. "I came to see Annabelle."

The world fell silent under his words. Aster stared stonily at my body and Jessica crumpled into her torn green skirt. The fire dimmed and flickered as if I had just died suddenly, instead of two days ago. Jessica started to sob and Chenate's gaze turned to where Aster looked.

Time seemed to stop when his eyes reached my face.

"Who?"

"Annabelle Snow, of Tantua." Chenate said resolutely.

"Snow? She died on Tuesday." Aster said flatly.

I tried to scream. I screamed about how wrong she was and how I could come back to life if only Chenate kissed me.

I begged for him to kiss me like the handsome prince kissed Snow White and they lived happily ever after.

I screamed about how Desdemona poisoned me, and how she was still on her way, and that if he didn't kiss me, she would kill me for good.

I yelled through my tears about how Aster roasted her apples in a special way that it took out most of the poison and left me sleeping, but not dead.

I screamed for eternity, but time was still standing still and Chenate was still looking at me with his heart broken.

He kneeled by my side and his shadow covered my face. With his fingers, he touched my face and I could feel them, cold and strong. Brushing my glassy black hair away from my eyes, he held my hand with his other hand, and squeezed it tightly.

Everything I knew in that moment killed me. Chenate wasn't going to kiss a dead body. I cried from my spot floating in the air and in my rage hit the wall again. This time my eyes fluttered. We both noticed this time.

And then he did it. His lips were on mine. I could feel myself back into my body and I was kissing him back. He jumped suddenly at the instantaneous warmth and for the first time in days, I opened my eyes. The cottage was so much brighter than I had remembered, even with Chenate's shadow.

My eyes hurt. Looking was painful. I threw an arm across my face.

"Annabelle?"

It took me a few seconds to register. My whole body was in pain from lack of food or water and my muscles were weak from disuse and the poison.

Across the room I heard Jessica. "Snow?" She said, confused.

I grunted in response. My voice felt like it was going through puberty and the arm I was supporting myself on gave way.

But suddenly, there was someone knocking loudly at the door. Of course. It was Desdemona. She was going to kill me. I tried making noise with my throat, but each attempt stung wildly. The pounding of bone on wood was resounding in my head painfully and I covered my ears with my arms as best as I could.

Aster went to open the door; obviously not realizing it was Desdemona. I mentally shouted, but she ignored me. An old figure hunched with age hobbled in. Any twisting in my stomach left my body.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Desi was not here. Yet. She could never fit under that cloak. I still had time to gain strength before she tried to kill me. While Jessica and Aster tended to the strange guest, Chenate sat me up in silence.

The hooded figure turned to look at me and glared. With amazing speed she pushed Jessica away and flew to my side. I looked underneath the hood and recognized the eyes.

I turned to Chenate in horror. He only got half my message. "Please, give her some air, miss."

The hooded Desdemona gave me an evil look and smiled sweetly at the same time. "Of course, sweet." She shuffled backwards and from under her cloak, produced an apple. My eyes widened as she handed the apple to Chenate. "Feed this to her. It'll make her feel better." She laughed again, ridiculously loudly and urged Chenate to feed me the apple.

A whizzing arrow that sounded like thunder pierced the apple in an instant. The five of us snapped our heads to see Terencia still poised with a bow in front of the cottage window.

"Who-"

But Chenate didn't have time to finish before she fired up another arrow and hit Desdemona square in the shoulder. She roared coarsely before striking her again in the heart. Nobody said anything for several minutes, but Chenate looked oddly at the apple, which was starting to wither and turn black.

Soundlessly, Desi dropped, facing forward onto my legs. I feebly tried to push her off, but my heart was beating wildly and my arms were exhausted.

Terencia's harried breathing was the only reminder that she was still outside and Aster moved hesitantly to let her in. Jessica followed her with her eyes. She looked lost. But perhaps it was the sudden onslaught of strangers finding their way to the cottage, or my strange 'death'. Or Desdemona's for that matter.

Miraculously, none of the children awoke, and only gave Aster and Jessica quizzical looks before being shooed away for the day. None of them saw me, and if they did, didn't say anything until they left.

Nobody had spoken anything since Desi was killed. Without a word, Chenate carried the old frail body outside. I followed him after inhaling a roll. It was more air than sustenance, but more sustenance then I had in days. The three other women looked at each other, none of them knowing the full story. I gave them a small smile and left them to acquaint, or reacquaint themselves with eachother.

"Chenate!" I croaked, wheezing. He waited for me to catch up.

I staggered towards him and looked up. His hair had grown longer since I last saw him, but his eyes were the same jade green. I smiled at him, and he grinned back weakly.

"Thank you." I said, and we continued walking. He grabbed a shovel from the back of the cottage and handed it to me.

"You're…welcome." He said back tiredly, shifting the body in his arms. My sense of speech failed me. We walked in uncomfortable silence until we reached a barren area. He put down the corpse and I gave him the shovel.

"How did you know where I was?" I asked quietly. He didn't look up.

"The magic mirror. She told me about your prophecy."

I closed my mouth, embarrassed. I hated the prophecy. Chenate sensed it. "CinderElla was a prophecy too." I looked at him, to ask if he was lying. But one look at his solemn face told me he was telling the truth.

He changed the subject. "I taught Aster that recipe before she ran away." He said. "We went through a phase which we thought we could be attacked at any time. That recipe takes out poison, but I think her poison was too strong to take all of it out."

I nodded. But I still had a question that I needed answered. "What about…" I swallowed.

"The princess?" He finished, smirking. Chenate paused digging to look at me. "She found a better suited…suitor." He laughed.

I silently sighed in relief.

"But I came back for you." He said slowly.

I smiled at him hopefully. "Can duke's daughters marry princes?" I joked.

The light in his eyes changed and he grinned. "Would they?"

I took the shovel from him and knocked it to the ground. My knees were weak and my dress was torn, but I embraced the prince of Tantua and he looked back at me.

"Yes."

* * *

"Velatine, should Ihave turquoise orblue for my wedding flowers?" I asked dreamily. 

"_Lahina_," Velatine complained in my Elfish name. "Your language lesson!" I looked at her and smiled sheepishly. She gave in and laughed too. "Turquoise." She said decisively.

"Thank you." I said, but I caught myself. "_Bihaja_."

"_Sunda_, good." She pointed to a new verb, but closed the book when she saw I couldn't concentrate.

"Terencia and Darren are coming today. I want you to meet them, Vela." I plucked at my new gowns. I could hear Father negotiating with the cooks for the reception dinner from my new room, which used to be Mother's.

I was happy to see everything had been returned from Desi, whether it was forcefully or not. Father and I never talked about her at all, and he seemed intent on keeping it that way.

I couldn't believe the wedding was in a month! I giggled again. The whole province was invited. As for Jessica and the rest of the children, they moved into Tantua and a suitable house was found for them with no taxes, and a nanny was supplied. Aster preferred to stay away from Tantua and settled for Penepia, though she sent her best wishes.

Only Chenate and I really knew of her whereabouts (aside from Jessica) and we visited every so often.

A silver engagement ring of Chenate's with the royal crest emblazoned on it by gnomes sat on my finger and I stared at it, mesmerized.

I sighed happily, because I knew that now, it was going to be all right. Chenate and I were going to live happily ever after.

Or in Velatine's language, _jevinata dozunha halor._

_-_

_-_

The End.


	19. Chapter 19

Hello everyone. It's been a while, hasn't it? I just wanted to say that now that this story is finished, I've come up with a new Ella Enchanted fanfic. It's a real EE fanfic, not like Golden Delicious. With EE characters and everything! It's called Hattie Recanted. The prologue is up! Check it out.

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